'Mushroom park' in remote Nilphamari village

A 'mushroom park' at Laxmanpur village in Bangalipur union of Saidpur upazila under the district has drawn attention of a large number of locals as well as agriculturists.

Hafizur Rahman, 35, took the initiative to popularise foods made of the vegetable having unique medicinal and nutritional value.

"Facing hardship after my father's death, I started looking for something innovative to maintain the family. After training at the mushroom development and extension sub-centre under Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Dinajpur, I started a mushroom laboratory in a room of my house made of clay and straw in 2010," he said.

Mushroom cultivation and processing require special arrangement for temperature and humidity control and so, a 'laboratory' is required for the purpose.

Hafizur earlier hired rickshaw vans to go to Saidpur town with mushroom powder, tablets and foods made of mushroom for sale.

In November 2014, he set up a 'mushroom park' beside his house at BSC Bazar in Laxmanpur village on 1.09 acres of paternal land.

There foods made of mushroom are served to customers in a hospitable atmosphere, locals said.

Visiting the park on Tuesday, this correspondent found the spot encircled with colourful cloths also comprises a pond with clean water.

Mushroom statues made of clay and cement were kept beside the pond.

"Every day I prepare different mushroom foods like rolls, soups, vegetables, poratas, biranis and cakes for entertaining visitors," said Hafizur's wife Shukria Begum.

In the first half of January, Hafizur arranged a mushroom fare in his park where a variety of foods made of mushroom were served at reduced prices amid playing of folk songs and staging of dramas.

Meanwhile, Hafizur got a shocking surprise on February 25 when the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Saidpur along with a police team raided his mushroom park and house and conducted hours-long search there.

Contacted, Saidpur UNO Abu Saleh Md Musa Jongi said the raid was conducted as the local UP chairman in the monthly upazila parishad meeting on law and order alleged that Hafizur was dealing with drugs in the park under the cover of selling mushroom.

"But the law enforcers did not find any drug there. UP leaders sometimes lodges baseless complaints allegedly over village politics," he added.

"Although they did not find anything illegal here, the raid left a negative impact on the customers in my park. The UP chairman might have been angered as I worked for his opponent in last UP election," Hafizur said.

"I got impressed to see the mushroom park of Hafizur who came to my office on several occasions for suggestion," said Upazila Agriculture Officer Homaira Begum.