In Narail’s Shahabad and Alokdia villages, mushroom cultivation is attracting a growing number of young entrepreneurs and women, thanks to its high profitability, low startup costs, and strong market demand. Supported by the Agriculture Department’s training and resources program, about 30 small-scale farmers including Asit Basu—have embraced fungiculture, producing oyster and other mushroom varieties for both local consumption and broader markets. Asit Basu originally began with just 50 spawn packets at his home. With guidance from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), he now operates approximately 2,000 spawn beds. His cultivation involves mixing straw, wood powder, wheat husk, calcium carbonate, and water, then sterilizing and incubating seedstock in a controlled environment for about 28 days, before producing edible mushrooms in polythene-wrapped packets inside a makeshift tin shed. Asit has seen swift returns: after selling mushroom chops at a district youth fair, he earned around Tk 3.5 lakh, and now earns Tk 11,000–12,000 monthly from his enterprise. Inspired by his success, local youth like Arafat Hossain are setting up their own cultivation ventures. The DAE’s Narail Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer, Md. Rokunuzzman, says the department prioritizes training and resource distribution for mushroom growers. Thanks to this support, even rural women and youth can easily engage in cultivation with minimal land or initial investment. The surge in interest reflects a nationwide trend: Bangladesh produced nearly 40,000 MT of mushrooms in 2018–19, a leap from just 3,000 MT a decade earlier. Annual turnover reached approximately Tk 800 crore, with more than 150,000 people engaged in the sector . Oyster mushrooms dominate the market due to their ease of cultivation and resilience. The growth potential is substantial. Mushrooms require only small indoor spaces, low investment, and offer fast turnaround of 25–60 days. They are nutritious—rich in protein, vitamins, and antioxidants—and increasingly popular among health-conscious urban consumers. Remaining resilient without pesticides, mushrooms align well with organic and eco-friendly farming trends. Despite clear advantages, challenges remain at the grassroots: limited access to quality spawn, infrastructure, marketing channels, and fair pricing. Experts urge expanded government and private support to improve hatcheries, cold storage, and value-addition facilities. Enhanced training, digital marketing, and access to finance are also vital. Local cases like Narail’s show fungicultural success can boost rural incomes, especially for youth and women. With scalable potential, mushrooms can diversify agricultural livelihoods beyond traditional cropping. If national efforts—through DAE, NAMDEC, and industry groups—continue to build capacity, Bangladesh could significantly grow its domestic production, meet rising urban demand, and even enter export markets with dried or processed mushrooms. With low land use and high returns, mushroom farming offers a sustainable boost to the rural economy.
