A mushroom cultivator from Uttrakhand’s Dehradun has devised ingenious and innovative methods of growing the edible macro-fungi, making its farming a lot more cost-effective. 26-year-old Divya Rawat, who is the founder of Soumya Foods, has also promoted her methods, thus providing a means of livelihood for many Uttrakhand residents.

“People in Uttarakhand were leaving their villages to seek jobs in cities due to no fixed source of income as the traditional farming of paddy and vegetables was not lucrative enough to promise a bright future,” said Rawat.

“Looking for a solution I visited Dehradun wholesale markets and found mushrooms to be priced higher than all other vegetables. It was being sold at Rs 200 per kg and yearly price variations were told to be between Rs 200 and 400. I hit the jackpot and started working on the same. Furthermore, as mushrooms are grown indoors it prevents crop loss from natural calamities and wild animals,” she added.