Mushroom cultivation is emerging as a promising new frontier for Bangladesh's agricultural economy, offering diversification, rural employment, and export potential. With a short growth cycle, low capital requirements, and adaptability to local conditions, mushrooms are gaining traction among both rural farmers and urban entrepreneurs, when traditional farming struggles with climate change, shrinking farmland and rising input costs.
Officials project that the industry can become one of the country's fastest-growing and most sustainable agricultural sectors although there are challenges in its preservation, marketing and transport. According to the National Mushroom Development Institute at Savar, Bangladesh produces around 40,000 tonnes of mushrooms worth around Tk 800 crore annually.
The institute estimates that production could triple with proper policy and technological support, employing up to half a million people in the coming years.
'Bangladesh has all the natural advantages: a favourable climate, abundant agricultural waste and low investment needs,' said Nishat Salsabil, a mushroom development officer at the NMDI. Driven by global demand for healthy, protein-rich food, mushroom farming offers strong environmental benefits.
Read more at New Age