Punjab Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (PAMETI), under its Business Bibaz Project, organized a three-day Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) on Mushroom Cultivation from 6th to 8th January 2026 at its campus in Ludhiana.

The training programme aimed at empowering rural women by equipping them with practical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge to move towards market-linked and income-generating agribusinesses. Women participants were trained in the cultivation of Button, Oyster, Shiitake, Milky, and Paddy mushrooms, combining classroom learning with hands-on practical sessions.

Key technical areas covered during the programme included compost preparation, spawn preparation, casing, harvesting, processing, packaging, value addition, and marketing of mushrooms. Sessions were also conducted on access to finance, banking schemes for women entrepreneurs and SHGs, government support schemes, and formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

With the intention of providing real-time practical exposure, each trainee was given four bags of Button mushroom and one kilogram of Dhingi mushroom spawn, enabling them to cultivate mushrooms independently at home. This practical intervention was designed to motivate participants to take the first step towards starting their own mushroom-based enterprises.

The programme concluded with an experience-sharing, feedback, and valedictory session, reinforcing PAMETI’s commitment to transforming rural women from traditional farm roles into confident agripreneurs and business leaders.

Through the Business Bibaz Project, PAMETI continues to create pathways for women to convert ideas into impact, strengthen rural livelihoods, and achieve sustainable self-reliance through agribusiness entrepreneurship.