Celebrating Pushpa Jha - A Mushroom Farming Entrepreneur Who Gained Success with an Investment as Little as INR 500

There’s always something unique about the success stories of entrepreneurs, whether it’s about their struggles or disruptive thoughts. Adding to the list of disruptive entrepreneurs is a lady who not only earned her bread and butter but also made many capable of earning theirs. Her name is Pushpa Jha, who has established herself strongly in Bihar’s mushroom farming landscape. The lady hails from Darbhanga, Bihar. Without any further ado, let’s celebrate the lady’s unwavering commitment to mushroom farming excellence. 

Pushpa Took Up Mushroom Farming When Its Production Was ZERO or Minimal in Bihar

Back in 2010, mushroom output in Bihar was zero and stayed there until 2015. Inevitably, there was no market for mushrooms in the state back then. But Pushpa had some other ideas! She took up the challenge, stayed ahead of the curve and worked hard to create a market for mushrooms. 

How Did She Begin Creating a Market for Mushrooms?

They say that, behind every successful man, there’s a woman. In Pushpa’s case, we can tweak a line by saying - Behind every successful woman, there can be a man. Yes, her husband Ramesh, a convent school teacher, didn’t want her to stay confined within the four walls of a room. He wanted Pushpa to explore, broaden her horizons and make a name for herself in the business sphere. The support came despite the fact that Pushpa was a high school dropout. 

One day, Ramesh learned about the mushroom farming programme launched by the state’s agriculture department at Pusa, Samastipur. He told Pushpa to accompany him to the centre. However, when the couple arrived at the training centre, officials informed them that the training session was full. However, upon Ramesh’s request, officials allowed Pushpa to be part of the 6-day training workshop. And that training changed her life! She became a successful entrepreneur and empowered many women to become so. 

It All Started with an Investment of INR 500

Pushpa started growing mushrooms by investing as little as INR 500. She grew mushrooms in free space in her 600-square-foot house. As per her statements, she grew mushrooms under her bed and humid space in the corner. She used rotten hay balls and wheat husks to grow mushrooms. She would then pack the material in a polythene bag and arrange the balls in a row to create optimum humid conditions for quality produce. At first, she used to grow mushrooms for a vegetable dish only. After gaining experience and confidence while growing mushrooms, she went to the market. This is what you call perfect preparation before an examination! 

But Going Commercial Was Far from a Smooth Sailing Experience

Pushpa spotted areas in Balbhadrapur village to go commercial. She began by constructing a bamboo room using materials from the local market, for a humid environment. Pushpa used to grow button mushrooms in 1000 bags and offer them in the local market. However, she could not find a single buyer for them. Because mushrooms are perishable, she had to bear heavy losses. 

But Why Did She Not Find Any Buyer?

The problem was not with the mushrooms she produced, the problem was with the lack of awareness of how they tasted as their consumption in Darbhanga and other places of Bihar was minimal.  

So, What Did Pushpa Do to Change the Equation?

She kept growing mushrooms and started distributing 200-gram packets in her neighbourhood and the market for free. Pushpa taught people how to cook and consume mushrooms as pakodas, vegetables and other stuff. People found the taste of these food delicacies great, allowing her to earn INR 500 per order. In addition to button mushrooms, she also grew oyster and milky varieties. She became popular and her profits rose. Pushpa began creating her vermicompost and preparing spawns to lessen her production costs. 

Once a Trainee, Pushpa Became a Mushroom Farming Trainer for Many Women

Buoyed by Pushpa’s success, women in her neighbourhood expressed their desire to learn mushroom farming from her. Pushpa obliged by training and encouraging them to grow mushrooms at home. She told them to utilise two hours of their free time to learn mushroom farming. Pushpa also started training women other than those living in her neighbourhood. Many women she touched upon were involved in time-consuming and low-income activities such as embroidery and sewing. Pushpa told them that mushroom farming not only consumes less time but also earns them more. 

In 2015, Pushpa began training women on a large scale and making them financially independent. Until 2021, she had trained more than 20,000 women. While recounting her story, Pushpa told that she provided training to women for free initially and offered them spawns. She even offered them money to build a room for mushroom farming. 

Pushpa Now Trains Even Men and Prisoners 

Pushpa Jha is now touched upon by people from neighbouring districts for training on mushroom farming. Even men come to learn mushroom farming. Her workshops have increased with time. Now Pushpa goes to educational institutes and even the Central Jail in Darbhanga for training. She feels proud that her training can help prisoners live normally after they come out of jail. 

Pushpa earns INR 2 lakh a year from the training and sales of mushrooms. She also processes mushrooms into pickles, biscuits, samosa snacks and powder to enhance their usability. 

Reference

She Started a Mushroom Farming Revolution With Rs 500 & Groomed 20000 Entrepreneurs