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KOKRAJHAR: Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar, Varnali Deka chaired a meeting of the District-level Steering Committee on mushroom, held here recently in the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner's office. Mushroom is Kokrajhar district's product under the flagship One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme.
The committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner comprises of Sub-Divisional Officers (Civil), Project Director of District Rural Development Agency, Kokrajhar, Chief Scientist of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, District Agriculture Officer, General Manager of District Industry and Commerce Centre, District Development Officer of National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (NABARD), Lead District Manager, resource persons Dr Sandip Das from Bodoland University and Dr Medalson Ronghang, Bineswar Brahma Engineering College.
The committee has been formed with the objective of promoting mushroom related activities, with focus on boosting production and export of mushroom and mushroom products. The committee will take steps to identify individuals and groups interested in mushroom-related activities and work out institutions and resources to train them, in addition to upskilling of people engaged in mushroom production and production of longer shelf-life mushroom products. It will devise ways to forge convergence among different departments and departmental schemes to promote mushroom production and to disseminate its benefits as a super food as well as a viable means of livelihood to all target groups. The committee will work in tandem to strengthen backward and forward linkages, develop clusters such as Mushroom Cooperative, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) etc. for synchronization of production and harvest, provision of common facilities, incubation, training, research and development, marketing and branding of mushroom and mushroom products and will explore possibility of boosting manufacture and export of the product to other states and countries. The committee will provide eco-system for innovation/use of technology to increase competence of mushroom producers in domestic as well as international market.
The meeting discussed on ongoing mushroom-related initiatives taken up by different departments, explored potential for convergences that can be forged between the various departments to make the efforts synergistic. The committee took the decision to set up clusters/FPOs of mushroom producers. Government schemes, funding avenues, financial investment requirements for furthering the District's ODOP were also discussed. The district would be targeting hand-holding 500 additional women SHGs under ASRLMS. Action Plan was discussed for technical inputs and hand-holding for marketing support. The committee will work in tandem to strengthen backward and forward linkages, providing hand-holding from training to trading, branding of products and will explore possibility of trade with other states and countries.
A Vision Document on ODOP activities for the district is being prepared so as to provide impetus to mushroom production and allied activities in a step by step manner and to boost trading and export avenues of the product, thereby establishing mushroom-related activities as a viable livelihood option.
Deputy Commissioner Varnali Deka appreciated the steps taken by Bodoland University under the initiative of Dr Sandip Das towards promoting mushroom production through training, technical inputs, consultancy support to farmers. Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Gossaigaon has also conducted trainings and demonstrations on mushroom production in the district. Tech Incubation Centre has also developed a range of 13 long shelf life products including Mushroom Biscuits, Mushroom Soup Powder, Mushroom Rasgolla, Mushroom Noodles, etc.
Varnali Deka appreciated the efforts of all organizations and exhorted all departments and organizations to work in tandem to make mushroom production a revolution in the district.
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