Vol. 2, Issue 5, Part O (2016)

Abstract
The market for mushrooms continues to grow due to interest in their culinary, nutritional, and health benefits. They also show potential for use in waste management. However, as fungi, mushrooms have life cycles very different from those of green plants. The choice of species to raise depends both on the growth media available and on market considerations. Mushroom cultivation offers benefits to market gardens when it is integrated into the existing production system. The present research was under taken with the objectives of analyzing the marketing problems of the mushroom cultivators, the role of the intermediaries in the marketing of mushrooms, analyzing the storage problem and to find the motivational factors of the mushroom cultivators. A sample of 30 mushroom growers were randomly selected from list of mushroom growers obtained from Directorate of Horticulture. None of the mushroom growers were using promotional elements for marketing of their produce. All the mushroom growers were selling their produce in packaged form but without any brand name. This article emphasized the need of canning and refrigeration facility for mushroom growers in case of higher production to stop distress sale and creating awareness among masses about nutritional importance of mushrooms to increase its consumption, Reduce market price of inputs, government incentives to mushroom cultivators, availability of good mushroom spawn, more extension and training for producers, easy loan program to the mushroom cultivators by the Government through the banks and most importantly mushroom association to be formed by the mushroom cultivators.