One of the benefits of the lockdown is that many people, especially those living in semi-rural areas, restart gardening. In states like Nagaland, vegetable gardens are common. People are proficient in gardening. This activity has led to the "mushroomization" of entrepreneurs, who now understand and believe that mushrooms are a viable enterprise. 

Dr. Sosang Longkumer, founder and director of Konger Agritech, has always been at the forefront of mushroom cultivation in Nagaland. As a scientist working in the Agricultural Research Council of India, it is safe to say that he is proficient in farming methods and techniques. However, he took this idea one step further. He founded Konger Agritech, a company that not only grows mushrooms but also helps others start their own businesses. 

Thanks to Dr. Longkumer, mushroom cultivation has not only become a common activity in self-help groups, but now there are also young people involved in this trade. We discussed with Dr. Longkumer about his journey, what makes mushrooms in Nagaland special, and whether he plans to expand his operations. 

When did you start and what was your reason?

Konger Agritech started as a single-man army, but we have now grown into a larger team consisting of technical and non-technical personnel. Konger Agritech was officially established in 2020, but before that, the laboratory had been established, and my mission had already begun sometime in 2018. To be precise, my interest in mushrooms began with Dr. Rajesha, a senior scientist and a former colleague of mine. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) department in Nagaland asked me to grow mushroom cultures and lay eggs in the laboratory. It was sometime in 2017, when I was working as a research assistant. Backed by my knowledge of microbiology and applied genetics, I completed the challenge. Dr. Rajesha was very impressed with the quality of my mushroom strains and suggested that I set up a strain production laboratory to help farmers grow mushrooms throughout the year. Mushroom farming is a lucrative business with low investment and early returns. It can be full-time or alternative source of income.

I had to obtain a loan to set up a laboratory as a large amount of machinery, equipment and chemicals in order to operate smoothly in the mushroom strain laboratory.

Why do people need a pandemic to start growing mushrooms? Before the pandemic, what was the mushroom market (not the consumer market, but the people interested in growing it) market?

For many years, the state has practiced mushroom cultivation, especially oyster mushrooms. However, earlier, as there was no spawning, more seasonal farming was carried out in winter. After I started my fungus production unit, I trained farmers, especially young people, to use the mushroom planting program as a full-time entrepreneurship. With proper planning, training, and market potential, many of them realize that it can be a full-time enterprise that is planted throughout the year.

However, the increase in activity during the pandemic is more of a coincidence, but it is certainly in our favor. Considering that this is a backyard activity, people hide out, and some people regard it as a hobby agriculture for personal consumption. In addition, every naga family conducts kitchen gardening very naturally, so it becomes easy to grow mushrooms. In other words, I always think that mushroom farming is seriously underestimated, and we are happy to see that it is now gaining some momentum as people realize its value. It is extremely cost-effective, does not require much space and investment, and has a good return in the short term.

Mushrooms are very popular in the state and it has always been sourced from neighboring countries such as Assam. On the other hand, shiitake mushrooms are an exotic item with high medicinal value. It is mainly imported from Asian countries, but the demand is very large.

Have we read that Nagaland provides a favorable environment for mushroom growth? What makes the state's climate so suitable for mushroom growth? Do you think other mountain states (Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram) can also become fertile ground for these mushrooms?

Oyster mushrooms can be grown almost everywhere in the country, but shiitake mushrooms require specific climate and resources. Nagaland meets the requirements of a large number of oak trees, which are considered to be one of the best shiitake mushroom cultivations. Shanzhou in the northeast of our country is blessed with unique climatic conditions and natural resources, so it is considered a hot spot for exotic mushrooms. The Naga hills and hills of Manipur are composed of rich and dense broad-leaved forests, among which the dominant tree species is the oak family. Nagas has always used oak as firewood wisely, and we have been following a sustainable model called tree weeding so that the trees can rejuvenate.

All the above conditions and farmers’ interest in experimenting with new farming methods ignited underground work.

How important is the self-help group perspective to your startup? What made you choose a self-help model instead of the more capitalist investment large sum (or inviting investors) model and run a more employer-employee type structure?

We are not limited to the self-help group model, because we do have a lot of individuals and organizations nurturing it, but having said that, we believe that including self-help groups will allow us to speed up production and make it a statewide activity, all climates are vibrant Participating villages.

You mentioned that various government agencies and international agencies have stepped in and provided support during your journey. Can you tell us how they approached you (or how you approached them) and how their cooperation helped you?

When a farmer tried to use my mushroom strains and succeeded, I received some news, which I believe increased my credibility. There is no doubt that considering that it is a small place, it also has a lot of reputation. At that moment, I met with some senior government officials and proposed the concept of growing mushrooms in Nagaland. They are all positive and willing to accept the ideas they share. One of the first departments to undertake was the Forestry Department under its JICA project. Since then, we have NSRLM (NRLM) to start a statewide mushroom planting project (oysters and shiitake mushrooms), and we have also provided technical support to partners in the Horticulture Department.

I saw a lot of discussions about shiitake mushrooms. Is there any reason why shiitake mushrooms are more popular than other mushrooms, such as oyster or king oyster, Patton, Portobello, enoki mushroom, Shimei, etc.?

Yes, definitely because it is an exotic mushroom, known for its medicinal value. It is a delicious mushroom that is widely cultivated and eaten in Asian countries. In India, it is mainly imported from China and Thailand, and the price is very high.

In addition, based on the state's resource availability, oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are currently the most suitable for our farmers. Because these mushrooms are easy to cultivate and do not involve any difficult technical input. Having said that, as the mushroom entrepreneur community develops and grows, we also intend to add a variety of exotic mushrooms to our portfolio, but we are just waiting for the right time.

Where is the main part of your market? How can retail consumers approach you about your products? Do you now have a production model to expand production to supply to the national level? Or are you more willing to make things localized and simplified?

So far, we only sell fresh oysters and shiitake mushrooms in the local market, and the consumption of Nagaran mushrooms in the state is very high, so the market is very good. We do cater to small orders from out of state, especially dehydrated oyster mushrooms, through our social media pages. In addition, our farmers cater to their direct customers.

Sure enough, we do have a lot of questions and needs from outside the state. From B2C brands to potential buyers in the export market, we are already working hard to realize them.

In addition to cultivating mushroom entrepreneurs and increasing productivity, we are currently working to simplify the supply chain because we want to cater to customers across the country. We are already negotiating with several companies in the mainstream market, and they will purchase from us in the next few months to create a sustainable market for farmers and allow us to easily trade excess products. It is our dream to make Nagaland a mushroom of the country. In order to achieve this goal, Konger Agritech is doing its best to increase the number of mushroom entrepreneurs and make our dream a reality.

EastMojo is a digital news media platform that promotes news in Northeast India. Under the leadership of a team of well-known journalists, EastMojo covers all news from 8 Northeast states, including Arunachal Pradesh news, Assam news, Manipur news, Meghalaya news, Mizo Rambang News, Nagaland News, Sikkim News and Tripura News. The focus is always to bring to the forefront the latest news from Assam, news from scratch, breaking news from the Northeast, Assam news headlines, and high-quality stories reflecting the culture and lifestyle of the people in the region.

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