Rural women are emerging as the driving force behind agri-business transformation in the state, aided by the Punjab Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute’s (PAMETI) Business Biba’z Project.
The project, launched in October 2025, is aimed at empowering rural women by helping them transition from farm labourers to independent agri-preneurs.
A three-day entrepreneurship development programme (EDP) on mushroom cultivation recently held at the institute’s Ludhiana campus was designed to equip women with practical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge. It helped enable them move beyond traditional farm roles into market-linked and income-generating enterprises.
The participants were trained in the cultivation of button, oyster, shiitake, milky and paddy mushrooms through a blend of classroom learning and hands-on sessions. The programme covered technical aspects such as compost preparation, spawn preparation, casing, harvesting, processing, packaging, value addition and marketing. Sessions were also conducted on access to finance, banking schemes for women entrepreneurs, government support programmes and the self-help groups (SHGs). These sessions ensured the women were prepared to step into leadership roles in agribusinesses.
To provide real-time exposure, each trainee received four bags of button mushrooms and a kilogram of dhingi mushroom spawn, enabling them to begin cultivation at home. The intervention was designed to motivate participants to take the first step towards establishing their enterprises.
“When women gain economic independence, they uplift entire communities. Empowerment is contagious,” said Dr Kanwar Barjinder Singh, Director PAMETI.
“This enterprise is a gateway to self-employment and financial sustainability. Mushroom cultivation gives us a chance to earn and support our families. Learning hands-on techniques has given us the confidence to start cultivation at home. With training and support, we feel ready to become entrepreneurs,” said a woman participant.
Through the Business Biba’z project, PAMETI continues to create pathways for rural women to convert ideas into impact, strengthen livelihoods and achieve sustainable self-reliance through agribusiness entrepreneurship.
The project promotes value addition to agricultural products, blending traditional knowledge with modern techniques and helping rural women access larger markets for processed foods, handicrafts and organic goods.
It focuses on training women in business management, market analysis and production skills for products like pickles, soaps and herbal teas.