KOCHI: TS Abhinav, who learnt oyster mushroom farming to help his mother, is now the owner of the 'Abhinav Mushrooms' brand. He earns a monthly income of up to 80,000 rupees! The 19-year-old is a second-year economics student at St. Albert's College.
The oyster mushrooms are sold in shops and schools in Thoppumpady. Biggies like Reliance and B COOK 360 have already noticed Abhinav and are currently holding talks with him for wholesale. As a testament to the quality of the mushroom, Abhinavv's brand has registration from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
Abhinav's mother Rosy Joseph was a teacher. After retiring, she tried mushroom farming by watching videos on YouTube. Abhinav, her younger son, also joined to help her. Soon, Abhinav became very much excited about mushroom farming. He then learnt more about it by becoming a member of the mushroom growers WhatsApp group. Four months ago, he prepared three spacious rooms on the third floor of the house and started oyster mushroom farming. Farming became successful in a short period of time. He buys mushroom seed (spawn) and sawdust pellets from Malappuram. One packet of spawn costs Rs 50. On the whole, the cost of one cover of mushroom is Rs 100.
Farming
The mushroom is cultivated in a 55-micron plastic cover. Sawdust pellets are powdered when heated in an autoclave for disinfection. First, soaked sawdust will be put inside the plastic cover. Spawn will be put on top of that. Four layers will be created in this manner. The covers are then tied airtight and kept in a dark room for 20-25 days. Later, these covers will be shifted to the production room and hung. Cuts will be made on the outside of the cover using a blade or knife. After seven days, the mushroom will sprout and grow out through the cuts.
Extreme care
Only Abhinav and his mother Rosy are allowed inside the rooms. The two enter the rooms only after wearing gloves. The heat in the production room is maintained at 24-28 degrees with AC. There is an exhaust fan to control the moisture in the air.