Economic constraints faced by women mushroom growers

Mushroom cultivation is a remunerative agri-business. Mushroom entrepreneurship being technologically intensive agri-business, its success in a country like India is contingent upon the technological and institutional support available to it. Present study was carried out to assess the constraints faced by women mushroom growers in Kashmir. The sample comprised of 450 randomly selected respondents trained by mushroom development department. The structured schedule was developed for data collection. The constraint analysis revealed that inadequacy of capital for purchase of materials, lack of support from society, non- availability of spawn, non-availability of required chemicals and fertilizers, high cost of inputs, irregular purchase of mushrooms, were the major constraints. The study revealed that ‘High cost of materials required in mushroom cultivation’ was the most important economic constraint responsible for mushroom cultivation. For mushroom cultivation to pick up the pace, there is need for capacity building of agricultural scientists, extension personnel’s, village level workers about improved low cost cultivation technology for disseminating the same among the farmers and supply of quality spawn by state departments.