The exotic flavour and taste and fleshiness of mushroom have made it an important delicacy in human diet.
Of the various types of mushrooms presently cultivated in the world, eight are important. These are : button, oyster, straw, shikate, woody ear, winter, silver ear and nameko. These account for 99 per cent of the total world production of mushrooms.
In India only three types, namely, button, oyster and straw mushrooms are commercially cultivated.
The lack of marketing avenues for mushrooms is a cause for the lack of interest among farmers in taking up cultivation.
The size of the units that are being set up in India have production capacities ranging from 250 to 3500 tonnes of fresh button mushrooms per year.