Trying to get COVID immunity, mushroom-eaters throng Bengaluru-based institute 

BENGALURU: The pandemic has launched a scramble for immunity-boosting foods, and mushrooms remain the popular choice for many, leading to an increase in the demand for Ready to Fruit bags which are used to grow them in households.

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) say they are getting an increasing number of requests for Ready to Fruit bags, but it has had to stop the sale to individuals due to a shortage in the supply of paddy straw, which is crucial to the cultivation of mushrooms. 

“Mushrooms are a good source of energy and nutrition. They help build immunity. During the lockdown, in addition to small-scale farmers and homemakers who regularly bought bags from us, new consumers approached us. Initially, we helped and sold some, but we have now stopped the sale of bags to urban homemakers due to shortage of paddy straw,” Dr Meera Pandey, Principal Scientist, Mushroom Research Lab, ICA- IIHR told TNIE, adding that Oyster, Shiitake and Milky mushrooms are the most sought after. 

Paddy straw, which is used in the lab, is procured from Tamil Nadu. But supply remains disrupted due to the lockdown and transport restrictions, affecting IIHR’s production of mushrooms and its sales of ready-to-fruit bags.  

Between April and September, IIHR sold 1,000 bags, half of what it sold the previous year for the same period.

Dr Meera said generally IIHR sells about 40 tonnes of mushrooms a year with a 20-days waiting period, and this year, though demand has increased, they are unable to meet it.  

To address this, IIHR is supporting NGOs such as People’s Trust in Rajanukunte, the Ramakrishna Mission in Anekal and Rotary Club, which plans to set up a cultivation unit in Kolar district.

It began the process of supporting NGOs and self-help groups last year, by training people of tribal communities in BR Hills and around Bannerghatta forests in mushroom cultivation and also helped them set up facilities. However, the tribals there could not do much as the lockdown affected cultivation. 

Now, the institute is also asking farmers and institutions interested in fungiculture to obtain straw directly from paddy farmers to meet the demand for mushrooms.

Demand for IIHR’s mushrooms is also coming from small and large scale farmers in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.