In the ever-evolving landscape of Indian agriculture, mushrooms have emerged as an unexpected hero. The Better India has curated an inspiring list of individuals who dared to dream differently, quit their conventional jobs, and embraced mushroom farming. Now, these individuals are earning lakhs of rupees per annum.
In 2013, moved by the Kedarnath flash floods, Hiresha Verma quit her IT job in Delhi to support the women affected in Uttarakhand. She chose mushroom farming due to the region's favourable weather and invested Rs 2,000 to start experimenting at home.
After training and establishing Hanzen International, she invested Rs 80 lakh for advanced setups. Now, her farm produces 1,000 kg of mushrooms daily and makes Rs 1.5 crore annually. Her initiative has empowered over 2,000 women, increasing their incomes by 30% and improving their social status. She also founded Han Agrocare to retail their produce across India.
Shanker Meena was born into a farming family in Rajasthan and wanted to pursue the profession himself. However, his father wanted him to do a corporate job with an assured stable income. While he decided to pursue an MBA as per his family's wishes, his heart was always set on farming.
Read more at thebetterindia.com