At a time when most people hesitate to switch from one career to another, 66-year-old Meenakshi Sundaram of Palakkad in Kerala has built a thriving agri-business that now spans three states—Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu—after leaving behind his tax practitioner job.
What started as a small experiment in mushroom cultivation during the late 1980s has today grown into a full-fledged enterprise specializing in the production and sale of high-quality mushroom seeds that brings in lakhs in revenue.
A tax practitioner by profession, Meenakshi Sundaram began mushroom farming at his house in Olassery in Palakkad. Though the mushroom farming didn’t yield the desired results, he saw a huge demand for high-quality mushroom seeds.
In 2014, he pivoted to focus on mushroom seed production—a critical component in successful mushroom farming. “The biggest problem farmers face is the lack of quality seeds. Even with good techniques, poor seeds can lead to failed crops,” Sundaram told “Open Digest.”
With the help of his microbiologist daughter Shankari, he started producing high-quality mushroom seeds of different kinds. Today, his nursery produces up to 200 kilograms of mushroom seeds per day, primarily of HU variety—a robust, high-yielding strain known for its long shelf life. The seeds are prepared under sterilized conditions.
Sundaram sells his seeds to farmers across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. He also resumed mushroom cultivation on a large scale after demand for mushrooms increased from local consumers. “We now produce around 35 kilograms of mushrooms daily which are sold directly to customers or through distributors. Marketing is a challenge for many farmers. But direct home delivery—just like milk or newspapers—is the best way to ensure quality and build customer trust,” Sundaram explains, advocating for a more localised, customer-first approach to sales.
