- A one-day national webinar on “Sustainable Mushroom Production, Value Addition and Agribusiness Development” was organized at the Institute of Excellence in Higher Education, Bhopal.
To introduce students, farmers, researchers, and youth to modern mushroom production techniques, create awareness and motivate them towards value addition, agricultural entrepreneurship, self-employment, and rural economic development, the Agriculture Department of the Institute of Excellence in Higher Education (IEHE), Bhopal, organized a one-day national webinar on “Sustainable Mushroom Production, Value Addition, and Agribusiness Development” on Tuesday. On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Institute of Water and Land Management (WALMI) and the Institute of Excellence in Higher Education, Bhopal, to promote academic and institutional collaboration. The primary objective of the agreement is to promote training, skill development, research, practical knowledge, and capacity building for agricultural students. Approximately 300 participants from various regions of the country participated online in the webinar, including students, scientists, researchers, professors, farmers, and agricultural entrepreneurs.
The chief guest at the event was Mrs. Sarita Bala Om Prajapati, an Indian Administrative Service officer and Director of the Institute of Water and Land Management (WALMI). Special Duty Officer Dr. A.K. Bhardwaj, Institute Administrative Officer Dr. Mahendra Singhai, Controller of Examinations Dr. Mahipal Singh Yadav, Agriculture Department Head Dr. B.K. Sinha, Dr. Smita Rajan, Dr. Priyanka Gurjar, Dr. Shubham Mishra, and Dr. Mubin Mansoori, along with other professors, were present.
In the first technical session of the webinar, Dr. M.P. Thakur, retired professor of Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, presented an expert lecture on “Holistic Approach to Mushroom Production, Value Addition, and Agribusiness Development.” He elaborated on scientific mushroom production techniques, production management, processing, value addition, and its potential as an agribusiness.
In the second technical session, Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Pandey, former Vice Chancellor of Vikram University, Ujjain, delivered an expert lecture on “Mushrooms: A Natural Source of Biomaterials, Prospects, and Challenges.” He discussed the nutritional value of mushrooms, their utility as a biological resource, and the opportunities and challenges in production and marketing.
In the third technical session, Mr. Devratna Uike, founder of Dev’s Mushrooms, Chhindwara, provided practical training along with expert lectures. He demonstrated the various processes of mushroom production, including the necessary materials, the preparation of the growing medium, the use of spawn (mushroom seeds), and the precautions to be taken during production. This training provided participants with an opportunity to gain a practical understanding of the scientific and technical processes of mushroom production. In the fourth session, successful mushroom producers and agri-entrepreneurs, Mr. Devratna Uike, Mr. Arun Chaure, and Mr. Vinod Prajapati, shared their experiences and success stories. They discussed practical experiences related to mushroom production, the possibilities of enterprise establishment, production, and marketing, describing it as an effective medium for self-employment, entrepreneurship development, and income generation. A question-and-answer session concluded the program, where participants asked subject experts questions related to mushroom production, processing, marketing, and entrepreneurship, and received answers to their queries. The program was organized by the Department of Agriculture under the guidance of Dr. Prajnesh Kumar Agarwal, Director of the Institute of Excellence in Higher Education, Bhopal.