Fun In Fungus: Uttar Pradesh's Nisha Niranjan Builds Mushroom Empire Of Rs 15 Crore, Empowers 10,000 Farmers
Pratima Tiwari reports how Nisha’s agri-business model turns low-cost mushroom cultivation into a scalable livelihood solution, especially for women and small-scale farmers.
Published : April 7, 2026 at 4:20 PM IST
Varanasi: Inside small rooms, shaded sheds and even village homes, a small fungus is mushrooming into a booming business. And at the centre of this enterprise is a 27-year-old agripreneur Nisha Niranjan, who is showing way to thousands on how to have fun in the fungus business. She is growing her own and guiding them to make mushrooms a vehicle for income, innovation and independence.
Nisha from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh has now attained the title of 'Mushroom Girl' after she transformed a niche agricultural activity into a scalable enterprise. She proudly speaks with ETV Bharat about 18 varieties of mushrooms she has under cultivation and a growing portfolio of value-added products, and also sheds light on how she built a business that is not only profitable but inclusive too.
An M.Sc. in horticulture from ITM University Gwalior, Nisha decided to step onto the less treaded path. Born in an agrarian family, she literally grew up hearing her grandfather describe farmers as kings. That idea stayed with her, and she shaped her ambition in the direction to restore dignity and profitability to agriculture.
After intensive research and training in mushroom cultivation, Nisha decided to start her venture, a startup dedicated to mushroom farming in 2020 with an initial investment of around Rs 23 lakh. Even before she realised, her business grew really fast though early setbacks were many. But Nisha persisted and kept experimenting with different species, refining cultivation techniques and identifying market gaps. Today, her company is valued at Rs 10-15 crore, with demand for her produce steadily rising.
But cultivation was just one part of her vision. Recognising the need for diversification, she ventured into value addition, developing a range of mushroom-based products like coffee, chips, chocolates, pickles, powders, biscuits and even khakhra. Intending to make healthy food, her products, positioned as herbal and oil-free, started gaining traction among health-conscious consumers across the country.
Ask her why she took up mushroom business and she speaks her heart out. "I had a larger mission. I wanted to reduce India’s dependence on imported mushrooms, particularly from countries like China, and build a self-reliant domestic ecosystem. Mushrooms offer a practical pathway for farmers to earn steady income for up to eight months a year, with relatively low investment and quick returns," she explains.
What sets Nisha apart from others is her grassroots approach. She travelled extensively across states, from Uttarakhand and Bihar to Bundelkhand, training farmers in region-specific cultivation methods. "The model I chose is based on sustainability and ensures that even residual biomass from mushroom production is recycled into usable products," she says.
Today, she is networking with 10,000 farmers, many of whom have adopted mushroom cultivation as a primary or supplementary source of income. In eastern Uttar Pradesh, she is actively working to develop Purvanchal into a mushroom hub, collaborating with institutions like Banaras Hindu University to provide structured training.
Nisha feels happy about reshaping gender roles in rural economies through her initiative. "Mushroom farming, which requires minimal space and infrastructure, allows women to work from home using locally available materials such as straw, sawdust and agricultural waste. I see women achieve financial independence without disrupting household responsibilities and that is heartening," says Nisha.
From oyster and button mushrooms to exotic varieties like shiitake, lion’s mane and cordyceps, Nisha’s work exemplifies the untapped potential of this sector. Her quest for innovation, zeal for entrepreneurship and persistence to give dignity to women workforce has led to a situation where farmers are not defined by hardship alone but equipped to thrive through smart, sustainable agriculture.
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