The cultivation of oyster mushrooms has found new fervour in the state after increased demand. In fact, production of the fungus variety increased from approximately 260 tonnes in 2021 to 320 tonnes in 2023 — a rise of almost 23 per cent. In all, the state produced about 410 tonnes of oyster, milky and button mushrooms last year.
The climatic conditions in Bengaluru and its environs are conducive for cultivating oyster mushrooms, explains Kavya, who grows white oyster mushrooms on 100 sqft of her balcony area in K R Puram. “I am able to produce 5 kg a day just from my balcony while my 3,000 sqm farm in Hoskote yields 20 kg a day,” she says. Over the past five years, she has noticed a marked increase in interest in oyster mushroom cultivation due to rising demand in the city.
Udupi and Bengaluru were the highest producers of oyster mushrooms in the state at 80 tonnes and 47 tonnes respectively — accounting for 40 per cent of the total production in 2023-24.
Rising awareness on health, wellness and nutritional benefits of mushroom consumption is driving this wave, explains K B Dundi, additional director, department of horticulture. “People are focused on eating healthy and are looking for nutrition in vegetables and mushrooms,” he adds.
Mushrooms were hard to come by until about five years back. After restaurants started working with the ingredients, demand picked up, explains Sanjana, a resident of Bengaluru. “We can slowly see customers for other exotic types of mushrooms as well. The pandemic saw a lot of people turn to cooking as a hobby. Many want to work with speciality ingredients like shiitake mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. This may have contributed to the boom,” she explains.
Despite demand and an increase in production, Karnataka still has unrealised potential in mushroom production. “Karnataka has very few button mushroom units as these have to be adopted on a very large scale. A few districts are cultivating oyster and milky mushrooms. The scale of the units and the capital involved is comparatively low,” explains Varun Amingad, assistant director of horticulture, mushroom laboratory.
Temperate environments with temperatures in range of 20 to 26 degrees Celsius are ideal for oyster mushrooms cultivation, he adds. “Milky and button mushrooms require temperature-controlled environments,” he adds. Additionally, 1 kg of oyster mushroom can be priced at around Rs 150 in wholesale markets, and the cost of cultivation is Rs 120 per kg.
Agricultural universities and private companies have also made spore bags or kits that make it easy for beginners. Easy access to courses by the Department of Horticulture and the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research has also encouraged people to try their hand at mushroom farming. In 2019, the Department of Horticulture trained 785 students while the numbers rose to 1,610 in 2024.
Roopa Patil, a senior scientist at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sirsi, explains that though a lot of people show interest, many do not pursue mushroom farming. “The shelf life of oyster mushrooms is only two days and there are concerns of contamination as well. There is a market for mushrooms in some urban regions and only if this spreads to all districts in Karnataka can the mushroom boom really take off,” she says.