ICAR-NOFRI conducts Hands-on training on Organic Oyster Mushroom Cultivation for tribal farmers of Hee Gyathang, North Sikkim
One day hands-on training on organic oyster mushroom cultivation was organized by ICAR-National Organic Farming Research Institute, Tadong, Gangtok on 12th March, 2018 at Hee Gyathang, Dzongu, North Sikkim under the aegis of Tribal Sub Plan. A total of 28 nos. of farmers from the village participated in the training. The programme was headed by Dr. R. K. Avasthe, Joint Director, ICAR-NOFRI. The foreword for the event was raised with the welcome speech by Shri Samro Ugen Palzor Lepcha, Zila Member, Hee Gyathang, Dzongu who took the opportunity to welcome all the participants and team from ICAR-NOFRI. He also expressed his happiness over the fact that this was the first training undertaken at the village ever since it had been declared as farmer’s friendly GPU. Dr. Shweta Singh, Scientist, (Plant Pathology), ICAR-NOFRI and Prinicpal Investigator, TSP Mushrooms in her address encouraged and appreciated the interest of the participants for their willingness to embrace mushroom cultivation for the first time on a commercial scale. She emphasized the nutritional, societal and economic role which the mushroom production is expected to play in the near future in the organic state of Sikkim. She also threw light upon the various aspects of scientific methods of mushroom cultivation including the preparation of substrates, housing and precautions to be taken during mushroom cultivation. It was followed by disease and pest management strategies to be considered in mushroom cultivation which was elaborated by Dr. Chandramani Raj, Scientist, (Plant Pathology), ICAR-NOFRI and Dr. N. Johnson Singh, SMS (Plant Protection), KVK, East Sikkim. The session also included discussion with the participants about the disease and insect management in the agricultural and horticultural crops grown in the village. The team from ICAR-NOFRI explained the participants about various technologies developed by ICAR to organically manage the diseases and insects and urged them to bring them into practice.
During the programme, Dr. Shweta Singh and Dr. N. Johnson Singh detailed the hands-on training of the oyster mushroom production technology where the participants showed their immediate enthusiasm to learn the technology. The participants were given pressure cookers, aluminium utensils, mushroom spawn packets, polythene bags and sprayers for facilitating their mushroom cultivation endeavour. The function was co-ordinated by Dr. N. Johnson Singh, Dr. Chandramani Raj and Dr. Shweta Singh and assisted by Smt. Babita Bhutia.
Issued by - Joint Director, ICAR-NOFRI
