Arunachal: ICAR Conducts Training on Oyster Mushroom Cultivation for Tribal Women in Basar
A total of 22 tribal women actively participated in the program, which focused on practical, low-cost, and scalable techniques for mushroom cultivation.
BASAR — The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Mushroom, organized a hands-on training program on oyster mushroom cultivation at the Mushroom Research & Training Centre (MRTC) in Basar, aimed at empowering tribal women through sustainable agricultural practices.
A total of 22 tribal women actively participated in the program, which focused on practical, low-cost, and scalable techniques for mushroom cultivation.
The training was led by Dr. Raghuveer Singh, Principal Investigator of the AICRP on Mushroom, who highlighted the nutritional, medicinal, and economic advantages of oyster mushrooms, especially for small and marginal farmers.
“Oyster mushrooms offer high protein content, minimal input requirements, and a growing market demand—making them ideal for livelihood generation in rural areas,” said Dr. Singh during his inaugural address.
The participants received live demonstrations on crucial cultivation steps such as spawning, casing, and harvesting, conducted inside dedicated mushroom cropping rooms. The training also included interactive sessions and a guided tour of the Mushroom Museum, where trainees were introduced to mushroom biodiversity and emerging technologies in mushroom production.
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To enable participants to begin their own mushroom farming ventures, essential inputs such as plastic buckets, hand sprayers, and informative literature in local languages were distributed free of cost. The program also encouraged peer-to-peer knowledge exchange to strengthen community-based learning.
This initiative aligns with ICAR’s vision of science-led rural development, promoting not only nutritional security but also economic resilience among tribal populations through skill-based agricultural diversification.
