Mandeep Singh Randhawa, a farmer from Tarsika block's Dhardeo village, has becomes a role model for many by establishing an air-conditioned mushroom farm for all-season supply.
Only a few growers in Punjab have invested in high-tech farms and mushroom processing facilities. Mandeep credits his mother, Harjinder Kaur, for this accomplishment, since she began mushroom growing in 1989 to help support her family.
“After receiving instruction from the Punjab Agricultural University, my mother established a modest farm at home. It was my first time attending a training school. Later on, I received professional training from the Directorate of Mushroom Research Solan (HP). Then I adopted high-tech mushroom growing techniques, put up a processing facility, and opened our own mushroom sales counter,” Mandeep explained.
Mandep built up his own compost plant with the help of a state government grant after receiving training from Solan. Then, near Buttar Seviyan, he established a high-tech Randhawa Mushroom Farm on the major Batala-Jalandhar Highway. Madeep built a growth area with 12 chambers and steel racks that was air-conditioned.
“We now produce mushrooms all year after building an AC plant. Mushrooms are perishable, and we won't be able to keep them for long. As a result, a cold storage facility has been established. We process it if we don't obtain a fair price on the market. Mushroom pickles are so popular that we sometimes can't keep up with demand,” said Mandeep.
“Prior to the Covid-19 epidemic, we used to sell 70% of our products at the sale counter, but demand has dropped to 40% today. Agribusiness was also affected by the pandemic. “We would not have been able to fulfill our costs if it hadn't been for the value addition of the product,” he added.
The Indian Council of Agriculture Research had given Mandeep an award for cultivating the most different species of mushrooms in his farms. Randhawa, as a member of the State Mushroom Development Board, arranged for specialists from the Netherlands to come in 2018. “I've done a lot of research on this sector and want to encourage other farmers to try mushroom growing on a modest scale,” he stated.
