Uttarakhand govt to train 10,000 people in mushroom farming to check hill migration
DEHRADUN: The agriculture department of Uttarakhand, in an initiative to curb migration from the villages and boost the rural economy, is soon going to train youths in mushroom farming.
Under the initiative, the government will train the people, especially those from migration affected villages in the hilly areas, in mushroom farming. The focus of the government would be the villages abandoned by its residents in the hills which are popularly known as Ghost Villages.
State agriculture minister Subodh Uniyal said that the initiative had been brought to “impart skills to the youth in mushroom farming using the houses abandoned since long.”
“The move will greatly help in curbing the migration from our villages in the hilly areas and provide a source of livelihood to the youth who can earn a significant income by selling mushrooms,” said Uniyal.
The minister said that as the “climatic conditions in the state’s hilly areas are suitable for growing mushrooms, the initiative will help boost the rural economy too.” “We have identified
about 2,000 villages, including the ghost villages, where we would be training almost 10,000 youths in mushroom farming. Once trained, they would be able to grow various types of mushrooms and earn money,” said Uniyal.
The minister added, “The department is also working on boosting the number and quality of mushroom spawns or seeds so as to promote it more.”
Divya Rawat, an eminent mushroom grower in the state, popularly known as the mushroom girl of Uttarakhand, who has been training people across the country in mushroom farming, said, “It is a welcome move for the villages in our hilly areas.” “The initiative will surely help in curbing the migration which would in turn boost the economy. Once the economy gets going, less number of people would like to go out,” said Rawat. She, however, said that the government should not just limit itself to just training the youths in growing mushrooms.
“It should rather train them in all aspects of mushroom farming, then only it would succeed.
If the training is right then mushrooms grown by not just 10,000 youths but 10 lakh youths would also fall short in market,” she said.