Son’s illness, debt crisis – Jyotimol and Sabu have been in trouble for years. Jyotimol found 2 sources of income to help her husband who was worried about not being able to move forward even an inch – mushroom cultivation and seedling production. Today they are supported by these enterprises which do not have much investment.
All it takes is the kindness of the authorities to get rid of the debt trap of five lakh rupees. Even so, these were helpful in finding out the daily expenses and the treatment expenses of the son at least partially. Jyotimol cannot work outside as she has to stay at home to take care of her son Srikanth who has Down syndrome. I looked at many projects that can be done at home but gave up as they did not require huge investment.
Who will give a loan to a family in debt? Mushroom cultivation was started last year in this situation. Sabu taught Jyotimole the methods of mushroom cultivation after training at the Kumarakam Agricultural Science Centre. First trial cultivation was done in 10 beds. It started with 50 beds in the confidence that it was right. 25 packets of mushroom seeds cost only Rs 1250. Hay received for 450 rupees. 200 for the plastic cage needed to make the bed. 100 rupees worth of rope to make a hanging bed A total investment of Rs.2000. A room in the house was converted to make a mushroom farm. The first harvest did not go well. 22 kg of mushrooms from 50 beds. Whole mushrooms were sold in and around neighboring houses. Production increased as demand increased. Now cultivation is in 100 beds. Due to the increase in production, the establishments in Nedunkandam town are going up and down in marketing. Jyotimol says that the entire mushroom is sold on the same day.
Seedling production is an additional source of income found with mushrooms. Pepper seedlings were the first to be produced. We buy pepper vines from good farmers, fill the cages with soil and cut them and plant them. If the vines planted in January-February are watered properly, they are ready for sale in June. 3 step seedlings are rooted in a cage. One such cage is sold at the rate of Rs.30. All the 15,000 saplings produced last year were sold through Idukki Krishivi Gnanakendram.
Jyotimol then discovered bougainvillea seedling production for nurseries. The first step is finding houses full of bougainvillea in bloom in the summer. Permission will also be obtained from them to cut kambu. With the arrival of the rainy season, the bougainvillea flowers are cut and brought home. They are cut into small sticks and inserted into plastic cages. The bougainvillea, which takes root in the favorable conditions of the rainy season, is ready for sale by December. In the last season, they sold 300 bougainvillea seedlings to nurseries.
Jyoti is again busy with pepper seed production. This time there is a difference. The KVK has suggested that instead of planting the stalks, the seeds of pepper should be planted and sprouted. The seeds of Karimunda, Panniyur 1 and Panniyur 5 varieties have been collected for this purpose.
Lessons learned – mushroom cultivation
Do it small and only expand after learning. Initially setback is natural. The main reason for this is lack of cleanliness. It can be corrected by asking experienced farmers etc. Never give up on mushroom cultivation because of early setbacks. Use straw that is at least 3 months old to make the bed. Yards adjacent to the house, unused rooms and stables can be turned into mushroom houses. If this is not available, a darkroom can be arranged at low cost.
Lessons learned – Seedling production
Identify high demand crops/plants and ensure availability of suitable mother plants for their production. Owner’s permission required. Select the mother plant for production only after checking the quality of the mother plant.
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English summary: Two enterprises with an investment of Rs. 2000; Jyotimol to get her life back