by Father Rixson Nigrel
WALVANDA, APR 19, 2018: Ten women who attended the entrepreneurship development programme conducted by the Bosco Samajik Vikas Santha (BSVS), Walwanda in March put their new skill sets to use by launching a mushroom cultivation business in Walvanda.
Kausalya Jayram Kirari, Sheela Prakash Sapta, Kamal Santosh Masra, Jaywanti Ganesh Sapta and Sevanti Bhaskar Mule amongst others expressed their desire to start a small-scale business to provide for their families.
Ravi Bhasra, a staff member from BSVS and Father Anaclete D'Mello helped make their dream come true by preparing a business plan for them. The women were taken for an exposure to a local farmer, Deepak Mahale, who cultivates mushrooms in the village of Dehre. Brother Bless Rumao, scholastic from Divyadaan, coordinating the summer camp at BSVS accompanied the group for the exposure. After understanding the cultivation practices and marketing opportunities, the women decided to start mushroom cultivation in their respective homes.
BSVS helped procure mushroom spawns from Pune for the women. The women gathered raw materials locally, made stands and paddy straws to fill the bags with mushroom spawns. It would now take 21 days for the spawns to sprout and grow as mushrooms. These mushrooms are sold for Rs. 200 per kilogram and the funds will help end the financial woes of those concerned.