First guest lecturer session for Mushroom Grower job role was successfully organized at Don Bosco Tech Thakurmunda Center on “providing students a better understanding on cultivation of Mushroom Grower on December 02, 2022 for the student of batch – 7 Accenture 12. Ms. Jasoda Mohanta Field Executive Officer of Tasar & Silk Federation Department of Handlooms, Textile & Handicrafts Govt. of Odisha was invited as the guest lecturer.

The guest lecture began with welcome address by the domain trainer Mr. Jagadish Prasad Swain. He has introduced and welcomed Ms. Jasoda Mohanta to deliver the lecture.

Ms. Mohanta started the session giving example about benefit of Mushrooms and she described Mushrooms are the most suitable fungal organism for producing protein rich food from various agro wastes without composting. Mushroom, which is pure vegetarian food, is good for diabetic patients. It also has other medicinal properties. It is good for stomach-related ailments like gastric ulcer and has high fibre content and no sugar. It is also rich in protein. Mushroom cultivation has become a profitable business with the produce fetching good returns in the market.

She said before starting a Mushroom production the entrepreneurs/ farmers are generally advised to undergo training. They can contact Mushroom Research Stations/Agriculture University etc, for the purpose. However here DB Tech is running Mushroom cultivation training free of cost, this is an opportunity you can take the advantage on this, and support your family financially. Indirectly, mushroom cultivation also provides opportunities for improving the sustainability of small farming systems. She emphasized on specific points to be kept in consideration during the process of cultivation such as seeds/spawn preparation technique, substrate preparation technique, infrastructure requirement for setting up of a composite mushroom farm, crop raising and crop management, pest/diseases management, post harvest handling & economics of mushroom cultivation. She said now for a mission to enhance female empowerment, several programs have been running on agriculture oriented modules for giving them the opportunity to gain farming skills, financial independence, and self-respect.

Ms. Mohanta summed up the session by answering queries and she has advised the trainees for cultivate mushroom as business purpose and wishes them for better future. The session ended with a hearty thanks to Ms. Mohanta by support domain trainer Mr. Diganta Pattnaik in appreciation for taking the time out to educate the students.