How to Start a Profitable Mushroom Farming Business in Sri Lanka

Most of the Mushroom farms are small-scale and household-based scattered around Sri Lanka. There is a huge demand for Mushrooms in Sri Lanka, but cultivators have yet to meet the demand due to a lack of scientific knowledge on the cultivation.

Mushroom farming can be considered one of the most profitable businesses with the highest return on investment that you can start.

A mushroom is a part of the structure of certain fungi, a fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on the food source. Most common mushrooms belong to the group Basidiomycota. A mushroom is a structure developed by Fungi to store spores that are used for reproduction.

Mushrooms were taken for human consumption even a thousand years ago. Commercial cultivation of mushrooms began in the last few decades as the demand for mushrooms increased. In Sri Lanka demand for edible mushrooms has increased in the last few years.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS FOR MUSHROOM CULTIVATION

1. High mushroom spawns (seeds)

2. A cottage with low temperature and relatively high moisture level (Light inside the room should be adjustable)

3. A Barrel

4. Sawdust or Straw

5. Polypropylene Bags/Polythene Bags/Basin

1. High-quality mushroom Spawns/Seeds

The use of good-quality spawns/seeds can be considered the most important practice in Mushroom cultivation. The quality of the harvest is dependent on the quality of the Mushroom spawns. Most of the farmers review that seeds/spawns produced by the private sector, give a good harvest.

Identifying Quality Spawns for Cultivation

Seeds with a size of needlepoint and pink colour spores are suitable for cultivation

Avoid Buying Mushroom Spawns Packets with the Following Defects

Damaged packets

Improperly sealed packets

Damped cotton plug

Absence of uniform white colour inside the packet

The appearance of water accumulation inside the packet

2. A cottage with low temperature and relatively high moisture level

Establishment of the Mushroom House

The establishment of Mushroom Growing House should be in a clean environment, preferably in a place with shade. Water lodging should not happen in the surrounding environment of the cottage. The Mushroom Growing House should have the facilities to maintain the moisture level and temperature. It should also have good aeration. The floor should be constructed with cement. The walls of the cottage should have a height of four feet. The roof of the Mushroom Growing House should be covered using roof sheets preferably. The space between the top of the wall and the roof should be covered with an insect-proof net. (If you are on a budget use coconut branches to cover the roof and Saree clothes instead of insect insect-proof net). The doors of the cottage should open to the outside and they should be automatically closed.

Mushroom Farm

Main areas of Mushroom Cottage

1. Darkroom for incubation -

2. a separate place to prepare growing media

3. Cropping room

Waterproof racks should be built inside the dark room. Racks can be built with several plies. Distance between two racks should be at least two feet to allow workers to walk between them.

3. Barrel

The main purpose of the barrel is to sterilize the growth medium of the mushrooms.

The barrel used to sterilize growth media

Packets containing sawdust should be sterilized by the stream in the barrel
A 200-liter barrel with a properly fitted lid is most suitable for this purpose
Make a small hole in the lid to allow steam to pass through

Nutritional value of mushroom

Per 100 g of fresh mushroom

Water	91 g
Energy	13 cal
Protein	2.5 g
Fat	3 g
Calcium	20 mg
Iron	10 mg
Thiamine	120 µg
Riboflavin	500 µg
Niacin	5.8 µg
Vitamin	3 µg

Commercially Cultivated Mushrooms in Sri Lanka

Common Sri Lankan Name Scientific Name

Piduru Bimmal Volvariella volvacea

Muthubeli Hathu Pleurotus ostreatus

Boththam Hathu Agaricus bisporus

Shitake Bimmal Lentinus edodes

Abalone Bimmal Pleurotus cystidiosus

Preservation of Harvested Mushrooms

As mushrooms contain more than 90% of water, they have less shelf life. If mushrooms are kept in the open environment they can dry rapidly due to loss of water. This will also result in a reduction in the weight of mushrooms. So it is really important to preserve mushrooms immediately after harvesting.

Dehydration of Mushrooms

Mushrooms can be easily dehydrated and preserved.

YouTube Video – Mushroom dehydration

Advantages of Mushroom Cultivation

· Mushroom farming has a high ROI (Return on Investment )

· Raw materials are available at cheaper rates

· Ability to start the cultivation within a small space

· Ability to Existing room or Staircase can be used to cultivate the Mushrooms

· Harvesting does not take much time

Registering your Business and Certification

You can Register your Mushroom nearest Divisional Secretariat Office in your area

Return Calculation for Mushroom Cultivation

(As pots purchased outside )

Price of a pot	70
Number of pots	1500
Cost for pots	105000
Yield from one pot (grams )	300
Yield from pots (grams) / 3 months	450000

Number Packets / 3 months	2250
Price of one packet (200g) (Nov.2022)	150
Income from packets /3 months	337500

How to Start a Profitable Mushroom Farming Business in Sri Lanka