Over 100 mushroom farms closed in Tangail in a year
Lack of funds, marketing facilities
Hashmot Ali Rana at his limping Juboshakti Mushroom Centre in Tangail.Photo: STAR
Over 100 mushroom farms were closed in the district in a year due to various reasons including lack of fund. Owners of the farms have abandoned the business due to lack of bank loan and indifference of authorities to their problems, said Morsheda Akter Lipi, a member of Bangladesh Mushroom Foundation and project director (PD) of Himel Mushroom Cultivation Project. Mushroom is a highly nutritious and tasty vegetable having medicinal value. It contains 25 to 35 per cent protein, 57 to 70 percent vitamin and mineral, 5 to 6 per cent fat and 4 to 6 per cent glucose. These are required for strengthening immune system of human body. Mushroom helps cure high blood pressure, diabetes, gastric, jaundice and heart ailment, experts say. About 2000 varieties of mushroom are available in the world. Six of them are eatable. Of the six, only Oyster Hybrid variety of mushroom is cultivated in Bangladesh. Price of each kilogram raw mushroom is Tk 150 while one kilogram mushroom dust costs Tk 1,000 and a spawn (mushroom seed) is being sold at Tk 10 in local markets. Mushroom cultivation gained popularity here after production of mushroom seed (spawn) on commercial basis at Kodalia here in 2005. Many unemployed youths showed keen interest in mushroom cultivation. Bangladesh Mushroom Foundation member Lipi trained 196 people including students and unemployed youths. This correspondent met several cultivators who closed their mushroom farms in Sadar and Kalihati upazilas. Mohammad Jasim, a cultivator said he took training on mushroom cultivation in 2005. Afterwards, he started mushroom cultivation with 500 spawns (mushroom seed). But he abandoned its cultivation this year due to shortage of capital, he said. Rana, another cultivator at Ichhapur village in Kalihati upazila said he started mushroom cultivation at his house with 1,000 spawns (mushroom seed) last year. But he was forced to close down his farm due to shortage of capital, short supply of spawn (mushroom seed), scarcity of polythene bag and some other reasons, he said. Ezaz Ahmed and Mohammad Firoz, two honours students also closed their farms at Santosh in Beradoma in Sadar upazila due to same reason. The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) deputy director (DD) here Mohammad Hakim Uddin said they have sent a list of trained mushroom cultivators to local Krishi Bank for loan. But mushroom cultivators did not get the bank loan for unknown reason, the DD said. When contacted, Tangail Krishi Bank manager Liakat Khan said mushroom cultivators did not submit their project profiles and required loan amount. 'We shall provide loan to trained mushroom cultivators this year', he said. However, Hasmot Ali Ranju is an exception. He said that he is determined to continue his project despite various problems. 'I am determined to continue my project as demand of mushroom is increasing at home and abroad', he said. Ranju took training at National Mushroom Development Centre at Savar. At present, he is producing spawn at his Deola laboratory here on commercial basis. He said he took Tk 1,50,000 as loan in two installments from Karmosanghthan (employment) Bank. Now, he produces about 7,500 spawns every month, he said. He supplies 2,500 spawns to local cultivators and 5,000 spawns to the cultivators in Bogra and Rajshahi, he added.
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