Officials and others during the inaugural programme of the Mushroom Spawn Lab inaugurated at Khensa village on June 9. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | June 9
A Mushroom Spawn Lab was inaugurated at Khensa village, Mokokchung on June 9. The Mushroom Production Lab is a self-funded venture, initiated by the Khensa Aluyimer Telok. The expenditure of the Spawn Laboratory was started with an approximate expenditure of 4 lakh ninety thousand. It is the second Mushroom Spawn Laboratory in Nagaland.
Initially, Self Help Groups in the village started cultivating mushroom and some villagers decided to help the community in starting the mushroom production unit in the village.
The inaugural programme of the lab was held at Multipurpose community hall, Khensa village with Chumlamo Humtsoe, ADC, Mokokchung as the special invitee.
The ADC Mokokchung began his speech by saying that starting up of the Spawn Laboratory is in itself a historic time. He lauded the Khensa Aluyimer Telok in particular and the whole village for the initiative.
While looking at the village’s literacy rate and the officials in the agriculture and allied department and their contribution to the village, he said, he felt encouraged to contribute to the community with what we know and what we can. Humtsoe further encouraged the farmers to depend on agriculture and be self- reliant and self sufficient so that we do not have to depend on other states for our food.
He encouraged the villagers to work consistently so that, in the long run, the village can be a model village as mushroom producers.
The keynote address was presented by Dr I Amenla, Rtd, Joint Director, Department of Agriculture. She mentioned about the shortage and the need of starting the Functional Spawn Laboratory.
She said that mushroom cultivation is an on-off farm activity like poultry and sericulture and started that it is a long-term vision and will further establish it as an enterprise. She attributed the success of starting up the lab to the whole of Khensa village.
Khensa Aluyimer Mushroom Enterprise
The Khensa Aluyimer Mushroom Enterprise has been initiated with the visions to introduce a mushroom spawn (mushroom seeds) production unit in Khensa village, to experiment, conduct trials and prepare 'Protocol for Oyster Mushroom Spawn Production under the Climatic Conditions of Mokokchung District. It also aims to cater the demands of mushroom seeds to the farmers of Mokokchung district in the initial stage, to Expand the mushroom seeds marketing linkage with Zunheboto, Tuensang, Longleng districts in the later stages, to upskill our farmers in the value addition of mushroom products like dried mushroom, mushroom pickle etc, to impart training on oyster mushroom cultivation technique to the farmers of Mokokchung district and its neighbouring districts in collaboration with Agri and allied departments, to provide a sustainable enterprise for income generation targeting women farmers and SHG’s and to upgrade KAME into a ‘Kame Skill Development Centre.’
The inaugural programme was followed by mushroom cultivation and upskilling training for mushroom growers.
