GUWAHATI, Jan 18

Ritamoni Deuri of Jalukbari village gave up studies in Class IX and took to weaving to support her father who has only 1.5 katha of land to call his own. While she can take only half of the mekhelas and chadars that she weaves as the yarn is provided by better-off families, the family also has 28 betel nut and three coconut palm trees to supplement its income.

Vrinda Sharma SOLAN: Mushroom farming in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh has revived the fortunes of locals in a big way over the past few years. With the initial investment as low as Rs.5,000 and a profit of Rs.20 to Rs.50 on every kg of mushroom, the lucrative returns have motivated many farmers to take to mushroom farming along with their standard cultivation. Over 40 families in Solan are involved in mushroom farming. The credit for this transition goes to the National Research Centre for Mushroom (NRCM) here which provides quality seeds and training to farmers.

Himachal's Guchhis Sell For Rs 11,000/Kg At Kullu Fair Kullu: Wrapped in mysticism and hailed as an aphrodisiac, Morchella esculenta, an edible mushroom also known as the Common Morel, sold for Rs 11,000 per kg at the recently held Banjar fair in Kullu. Locally known as guchhi, it was arguably the hottest attraction at the mela, its main trading centre, that saw buyers from across the region. While last year this natural wonder, demanding a premium, went for Rs 8,000 per kg, this year, due to less production and greater demand, the price simply peaked.

To get the organic certification, I needed a letter from the forest department simply stating that I was not contravening any state law. Actually, my control parameters were more strict than the department's. After travelling in Himachal Pradesh to visit friends, I had an idea to export wild mushrooms to the UK. Not really crazy when you consider how much Europeans love their wild mushrooms and how abundantly they grow in Himachal.

Extracts from a mushroom used for centuries in Eastern Asian medicine may stop breast cancer cells from growing and could become a new weapon in the fight against the killer disease, scientists said. Laboratory tests using human breast cancer cells show the mushroom called Phellinus linteus has a marked anti-cancer effect, probably by blocking an enzyme called AKT. Dr Daniel Sliva of the Methodist Research Institute in Indianapolis said the it reduced uncontrolled growth of new cancer cells, suppressed their aggressive behavior and blocked new tumor-feeding blood vessels.