KOHIMA — Oyster mushroom cultivation is emerging as a livelihood option in Nagaland, with 987 farmers benefiting from interventions by the department of Horticulture over the past four years.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio highlighted the development in a post on X on Wednesday, saying the department's support was helping farmers and rural communities diversify their incomes and build sustainable livelihoods.

According to Rio, the department promotes mushroom cultivation under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana-Detail Project Report (RKVY-DPR) as a low-cost and land-efficient livelihood activity aimed at increasing farmers' income, employment and entrepreneurship.

The support includes technical assistance, training, demonstrations and capacity-building in production, crop management, harvesting and marketing.

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Rio cited the example of Hinoto from Thahekhu village in Dimapur, who has expanded his oyster mushroom enterprise with departmental assistance to 20,000 cylinders per production cycle. The unit reportedly produces 100-120 kg of mushrooms a day, employs 10 people and generates a net monthly income of about INR 2.8-3 lakh.

The chief minister said that oyster mushroom cultivation was well suited to Nagaland's agro-climatic conditions and could be undertaken with relatively little space and low initial investment. He added that the production techniques were comparatively simple and could be adopted by farmers following appropriate training.

Beyond direct farm income, Rio said mushroom cultivation could provide additional employment and livelihood opportunities and be integrated with existing farming activities to diversify household incomes.