Lhakpa Quendren

Tsirang—Two years ago, nearly every household of Tsholingkhar gewog in Tsirang dabbled in small-scale oyster mushroom farming, inspired by the success stories from neighbouring gewogs. Today, however, these mushroom farms have shut down their operation.

The decline is not due to a lack of market demand. On the contrary, the market for oyster mushrooms remains robust.

The real problem was the scarcity of mushroom seeds and issues with materials needed for cultivation, such as improperly dried rice straw, which stymied what could have been a thriving local industry.

Drupchhugang Mushroom Group’s chairperson, Ugyen Wangdi, said that mushroom seeds were unavailable during cultivation and the mushroom spawns were damaged due to the use of piled rice straw.

Despite these setbacks, Ugyen Wangdi managed to harvest mushrooms for two years, utilising just 15 spawns. The venture was profitable, thanks in part to the favourable climate for oyster mushrooms in the region.

However, the challenges proved too daunting for many. “Proper mushroom farmhouses are essential but not everyone was prepared to invest in them,” Ugyen Wangdi said.

In Drupchhugang chiwog alone, 30 households were engaged in oyster mushroom farming.

The farmers started the farm with support from Tsholingkhar Gewog’s Renewable Natural Resources Centre (RNRC) in December 2022. They received training and subsidised mushroom spawns, which encouraged even those without prior experience to try their hand at farming.

Farmer Yoga Maya Dhungana had a successful harvest with her first two batches, which helped her family earn about Nu 60,000 – double the investment that she made, but dismantled her farm a year ago with no plans to resume.

Gewog Mangmi Bijay Monger from Upper Tsholingkhar initially planned to expand his mushroom farm for commercial production after a successful harvest from the initial 100 spawns. This helped him earn Nu 20,000 from selling oyster mushrooms. However, he gave up farming due to the persistent difficulty in securing mushroom seeds.

Gomsum Tshogpa Kezang Lham said that the farmers in her chiwog plan to resume mushroom farming in winter since summer is not favourable for oyster mushroom cultivation in her chiwog.

About 25 farmers in her chiwog underwent refresher training and began growing oyster mushrooms for self-consumption. However, most of them have only harvested once.

Gewog officials said that although the government encouraged youth to take up mushroom farming, many of them quickly moved on when they saw better opportunities.

The dzongkhag agriculture officer said that the dzongkhag administration was not aware of the issues facing the farmers.

The farmers however claimed that both the gewog and dzongkhag officials were reportedly informed of the problems.

The dzongkhag agriculture officer said that the government will prioritise support only for commercial and group-based farming in the 13th Plan. “We will not be able to support individual farms,” he added.

Meanwhile, in nearby Kilkhorthang gewog, oyster mushroom farming is a lucrative business. Eight farmers have successfully scaled up their oyster mushroom farms for commercial production to reap the benefits of a booming market.

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