A large wholesale mushroom market has emerged in Savar. Market vendors are busy throughout the day, from morning till evening, dealing with the purchase and sale of mushrooms.
The market is held seven days a week in an open space next to Savar Mushrooms Development Institute’s main gate.
The market offers a variety of mushrooms, including button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, golden oyster mushrooms, ear mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, and milk mushrooms.
Mushroom farmers from various nook and corners of southern and southwestern regions of Bangladesh bring their products here. Additionally, mushrooms are regularly transported to the market by farmers via delivery services.
The Mushroom Development Institute (MDI), located in Savar, is the only government enterprise in the country dedicated to promoting mushroom cultivation and promotion.
The institute operates 34 sub-centers across Bangladesh. Upon entering MDI campus, one will immediately notice the bustling mushroom market.
According to vendors, products from Savar’s mushroom market are supplied to five-star hotels and other upscale restaurants in the capital.
Dr Akhtar Jahan Kakon, director of the “Nutrition Improvement and Poverty Reduction through Mushroom Cultivation” project in Savar, said that there are over 600 mushroom entrepreneurs in the country. She said around 1,800 group farmers are involved in mushroom cultivation.
Currently, approximately 1,50,000 people are engaged in mushroom farming, processing, and marketing. She said Bangladesh produces nearly 40,000 tonnes of mushrooms annually, with a market value ranging between Tk800 crore to Tk850 crore.
Dr Kakon emphasised that medicinal mushrooms are prized for unique compounds not found in other foods. Key among these are polysaccharides like beta-glucans, which require extraction from the chitin cell walls to become bioavailable.
These components are well-studied for supporting immune function. Another vital group is triterpenoids, responsible for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, extracted using alcohol. Mushrooms also provide ergosterol, a vitamin D precursor, and various essential vitamins and minerals.
A decade ago, mushrooms were considered a novelty and often referred to as “frog umbrellas.” They were rarely consumed as food. However, the use of mushrooms as an essential food ingredient has been growing steadily in recent years.
Mushrooms are increasingly used in a variety of ways in line with global trends. Mushroom-based recipes now include mushroom cake, mushroom kebabs, mushroom cutlets, fried mushrooms, mashed mushrooms, mushroom soup, mushroom rolls, noodles, and salads.
Furthermore, some people have become self-sufficient by producing and selling mushroom-based products like chops, pithas (traditional sweets), halwa, tea, coffee, and even medicinal items and soaps.
The Savar mushroom market offers a wide variety of mushroom-related products.
