Considering the importance of mushroom cultivation as a potential income
generating agribusiness, the present research was undertaken to study the entrepreneurial
behaviour of mushroom growers, to analyse the performance of mushroom producing
units, marketing channels, consumer behaviour, technological and institutional support
available to mushroom entrepreneurs and to discuss the constraints and suggestions to
promote mushroom entrepreneurship. Sixty mushroom growing entrepreneurs and 150
consumers across Karnataka were interviewed for the study. The research revealed that
55.00 per cent mushroom growers fall in the medium category of entrepreneurial
behaviour. The mushroom growers with high and very high level of entrepreneurial
behaviour are 16.67 and 6.66 per cent respectively. Ten per cent and 11.67 per cent
mushroom growers belonged to very low and low level of entrepreneurial behaviour.
Higher number of respondents (53.33 %) were low on performance index. Only 5.00 and
3.33 per cent enterprises were in the high and very high level of performance index
respectively. Very small units mostly sell their produce to consumers and retailers;
whereas very big units depend mostly on wholesalers. Nearly half of the consumers were
in the medium category followed by nearly 40.00 per cent in the low and about 10.00 per
cent in the high mushroom consumer behaviour. Non-availability of spawn, exploitation
by market middlemen, exploitation by consultants and quality standards of spawn were
major constraints. Subsidy and loan facility for mushroom entrepreneurship followed by
creating awareness about mushroom consumption, providing spawn at nearest places
were the suggestions of majority entrepreneurs.