Sonia Dahiya, an assistant professor from Sonipat, Haryana, has turned her expertise in biotechnology into a profitable mushroom farming venture, balancing a government teaching job with a growing agri-business.
In 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dahiya launched “Dr. Dahiya Mushroom Farm” with an initial investment of INR 4 million. Leveraging her background in biotechnology, she built a high-tech, controlled-environment facility to grow button mushrooms. The venture, which began as a side project during the shift to online classes, now produces 10 tonnes of mushrooms each month.
Despite initial skepticism from her family, who questioned the feasibility of managing a farm alongside her academic role, Dahiya pursued her idea. She spent hours studying mushroom cultivation techniques, reading research papers, and consulting experts before setting up her first two growing rooms. The farm later expanded to four units by 2022, supporting increased production and broader market access.
Dahiya’s business currently generates monthly revenue of approximately INR 900,000, with net profits around INR 100,000. Her mushrooms are supplied to clients ranging from local caterers to wholesale traders at Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, one of Asia’s largest produce markets.
Beyond profitability, the farm has also become a source of empowerment for local rural women by offering stable income and employment opportunities. Dahiya’s model highlights the potential for biotechnology-driven agriculture in India’s semi-urban and rural regions.
Known locally as “Mushroom Lady of Haryana,” Dahiya says her scientific training was critical to minimizing early-stage failures and building a sustainable operation. A batch of mushrooms typically takes two months to cultivate under her controlled processes.
With plans to scale further, Dahiya represents a new wave of Indian professionals embracing entrepreneurship in agriculture — a sector that has increasingly attracted innovation and investment since the onset of the pandemic.
