Lifeline dries up: ‘Mushroom City’ struggles without its compost heart

Solan, fondly known as the Mushroom City of India, is facing a silent crisis. Ever since the compost unit at Chambaghat was dismantled to make way for the four-laning of National Highway-5, growers have been left grappling with rising costs and uncertainty.

For mushroom cultivation, compost is more than just raw material — it’s the lifeline. Nearly a quarter of mushroom production costs come from compost alone. With no local unit, farmers are forced to import it from Punjab and Haryana at steep prices, pushing their overall costs up by nearly 30 per cent. This makes Solan’s mushrooms costlier than their competitors across the border.

Experts at the Directorate of Mushroom Research warn that the problem doesn’t stop there. Mushroom farming thrives only between 18°C to 35°C, forcing farmers to create artificial temperature controls, another expense that eats into their profit margins.

Years ago, the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority prepared a Rs 2.03 crore proposal to build a new compost plant in Solan. The state even released Rs 80 lakh to kick-start the project. But when residents opposed the chosen site, the plan collapsed. Funds were eventually shifted to Sidpur in Mandi district.

In August 2024, a fresh attempt was launched to revive the unit — this time at Berti, where land had been reserved for a mushroom training centre and farmer hostel. With Rs 69 lakh already allocated to the local administration, officials say the only hurdle now is the formal transfer of land to the Horticulture Department. If cleared, Solan’s long wait for a compost facility might finally end.

Nearly three decades ago, Solan earned its crown as India’s Mushroom City thanks to pioneering research at the ICAR-run Directorate of Mushroom Research. Today, despite demand for the crop and ready buyers in the market, growers are being held back by spiralling input costs and infrastructure delays.

For a perishable crop that lasts just 2-3 days after harvest, every hour matters. Farmers believe that if the compost crisis is resolved, productivity will shoot up, helping thousands who depend on mushroom farming for their livelihood.

The message from growers is clear: Solan’s Mushroom City title must not become just a memory. It deserves to thrive again.

Himachal Tribune