Current Status, Challenges and Prospects of Mushroom Industry in Nepal

Abstract

This study attempts to analyze the current scenario of the mushroom enterprise in Nepal. The study provides insights on its future prospects as a major agro-industry. It also explores issues and challenges facing the Nepalese's mushroom industry by using a critical and SWOT analysis. Though, Nepal has all the requisites of low-cost labor, favorable climatic conditions, plentiful cheap supply of raw substrates, spawns and other inputs to become a leading mushroom producer. The industry is still in the state of infancy. The main challenges include inadequate scientific research on mushrooms; lack of adoption of improved technology, insufficient investment; unstable farm-gate prices and profit margins, poor supply and the increasing price of raw material e.g., rice straw; the poor quality of mushroom spawn, and the threat of diseases and pests attack. Several strategies are also presented here to improve the mushroom enterprise in Nepal.

Cultivation of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) from Agro-waste and Dry Leaf Litter in used Plastic Bottles: Community Waste Management Model targeting Stubble and Dry leaf burning

“…One of our country's prime issues is poor health and nutrition among the underprivileged population. The FAO has strongly recommended the intake of edible mushroom varieties in a routine diet, representing a protein nutrition source, especially in developing countries 38,39 . The mushrooms obtained from L 30 :WS 70 and L 50 :WS 50 bottles were high in protein content (3.5 g per 100 g), similar to that earlier reported [40][41][42] .…”

The contribution of fungi to the global economy

“…Valverde et al 2015 with the names corrected to the currently valid taxonomy). These genera accounted for 85% of global mushroom production in the world (Royse et al 2017;Kant Raut 2019). The market value of edible cultivated fungi in 2020 accounted to 54% of global production was USD 24.53 billion.…”

Postharvest mycobial contaminants of white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and their management using plant essential oils

“…It is commonly cultivated in the peri-urban area of the Kathmandu valley and the hilly region of Nepal (Shrestha, 2014). In Nepal, it is the second most cultivated mushroom that contributes 10% of total mushroom production (Raut, 2019). Additionally, this mushroom possesses a variety of therapeutic potentials including antioxidant, antibacterial, and immunomodulating activities (Ramos et al, 2019;Usman et al, 2021).…”