A mushroom entrepreneur in Rangpur, Bangladesh, has established a home-based mushroom spawn laboratory with support from a government grant, helping supply planting material to local growers and expand small-scale cultivation in the region. The laboratory was set up with a Tk3 lakh grant under a government project aimed at promoting nutrition development and poverty reduction through mushroom cultivation.
The facility produces spawn ranging from mother culture to commercial-grade material, reducing reliance on external suppliers and improving access for local farmers. According to founder Mehedi Hasan, the lab is the first privately operated spawn production facility in northern Bangladesh outside the government horticulture centre.
Alongside supplying spawn, the operation cultivates fresh mushrooms and produces processed products such as dried mushrooms, soup mixes and mushroom powder. The business supplies local markets and restaurants while also selling products online.
The spawn lab has also supported the development of a small network of growers in the Kukrul area of Rangpur. Several local farmers now cultivate mushrooms using spawn supplied by the lab and sell their harvest back into the operation, creating additional income opportunities and expanding mushroom production in the region.
Source: The Business Standard
