How a 35-yr-old farmer has mushroomed a success story in this Sangrur village

While mushrooms are typically grown in Punjab during the Rabi season (October to March), Gill produces the crop throughout the year. He has set up four air-conditioned sheds to that maintain the ideal temperature for mushroom cultivation.

Over a decade and a half back, he started with just one small open shed of 225 square feet. He gradually expanded his operation to cover 3 acres of his 6-acre farm.

Mushroom cultivation requires careful management of several factors, including compost preparation, which is made from dry wheat fodder. (Express Photo)

He now operates 26 makeshift sheds, each measuring 60×30 feet and spread across two acres, to grow seasonal mushroom. The sheds, which are designed to hold over 2,000 bags each, have compost to grow the crop. He also has four air-conditioned rooms, each measuring 40×17 feet with a height of 17 feet, featuring six shelves in each room with a capacity to hold 1,500 bags, and four compost making units spread across the remaining one acre.

These rooms help maintain a consistent temperature of 18°C, making year-round cultivation possible. With his innovative approach, Gill is not only meeting the needs of his regular customers but is also tapping into a lucrative market. He sells mushroom worth Rs. One crore including over Rs 20 lakh annually grown in four AC rooms. This season, he produced 1.20 lakh kg (1200 quintals) button mushroom from 60,000 bags, with each bag yielding about 2 kg of mushrooms. The harvest typically begins in late November and continues till March.

“I earn between Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 per shed after meeting my expenses and earn a net profit of around Rs 23 lakh from 3-acre in just six months which around 10 times more than traditional crops. With traditional crops such as wheat and paddy earnings are around Rs 2.25 to Rs 2.50 lakh from three acres annually,” he says, adding that the investment in cash crops is high, but the results are very promising.

While for mushrooms the efforts are way more that the traditional crops, he said that the returns are also much higher.

While mushrooms are typically grown in Punjab during the Rabi season (October to March), Gill produces the crop throughout the year. (Express Photo)

“I wanted to meet the year-round demand from my customers, so I decided to grow mushrooms in air-conditioned sheds. Bag filling, spawning for the summer season mushroom has already taken place in my AC rooms and from February 15, we start maintaining the temperature of 18 degrees Celsius,” he says.

Mushroom cultivation requires careful management of several factors, including compost preparation, which is made from dry wheat fodder. He also benefits from a 40% subsidy on compost-making units provided by the government.

Not only has Gill seen remarkable financial success, but he has also earned recognition for his efforts. He was twice awarded by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Sangrur for his progressive farming methods. KVK Sangrur associate director Mandeep Singh said, “Gill has proven that with determination and right technology, nothing is impossible. By using air-conditioning to grow the crop even during the summer months, he has set a new standard in the agricultural community. Gill’s story highlights how modern technology, combined with hard work and creative thinking, can turn traditional farming practices into a profitable and sustainable business,” Singh says.