What NHB actually pays for a mushroom farm

“Annexure I, Item A.1 (PDF p.6), "Pattern of Assistance" column, verbatim: "Credit linked back ended subsidy @ 40% of project cost limited to Rs.30.00 lakh per project in general area and @ 50% of project cost limited to Rs. 37.50 lakh for NE and Hilly States for subsidy on the pattern of HMNEH States and scheduled areas." Mushroom reached that rate indirectly: the Eligible Projects clause on page 1 nests "mushroom production units" inside "Commercial production units in open field", which is A.1's own category, and neither appendix carried a mushroom line of its own. READ THE CAPTION ON THIS ANNEXURE. It is headed "COST NORMS AND PATTERN OF ASSISTANCE UNDER MIDH FOR NATIONAL HORTICULTURE BOARD RELATED ACTIVITIES DURING XII PLAN", the XII Plan ran 2012 to 2017. This guideline has since been replaced: NHB's Operational Guidelines, whose Chapter 1 states "The Scheme guidelines shall be effective from 01.01.2025", give the mushroom unit a clause of its own priced per tonne of installed capacity, and NHB's Public Circular of 21 August 2026 then cut the rates. Cited here for one fact only: that the Rs 30 lakh cap still quoted in this market was real, and was NHB's own, until those documents replaced it.”

“Chapter 02, Scheme No. 01, cost norms table, item 1 (vi) (PDF p.17, printed page 7). Item column, verbatim: "Integrated Mushroom Production Unit in project mode". Cost norms column, verbatim: "As per NHB norms for a minimum installed capacity above 50 MT and upto 300 MT in controlled conditions @ Rs. 75000/MT without canning and @ Rs. 85000/ MT with Canning including Production Unit + Compost making Unit." Pattern of assistance column, verbatim: "Credit linked subsidy @ 40% of eligible project cost in General area and @ 50% of eligible project cost for NER and Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas and UTs of Andaman &Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh." Those two percentages were cut to 35% and 45% by NHB's Public Circular of 21 August 2026, cited separately on every rate this record publishes. Read with Chapter 04, Important Instructions, item 16 (PDF p.51, printed page 40), verbatim: "In case of cold storage/CA storage, Mushroom, Ripening chamber, Reefer Van, Cold room and Pre-cooling unit, the EPC is worked out on the basis of capacity." Chapter 01 dates the whole instrument: "The Scheme guidelines shall be effective from 01.01.2025."”

“Item 3, "Revision in Rate of Financial Assistance", verbatim: "The rate of subsidy/financial assistance under various components has been revised." Its table lists six components against two columns headed "General Area" and "NER/Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas and specified UTs*", at 35% and 45% respectively. "Integrated Mushroom Units" is the fourth of the six. The asterisk is defined directly below, verbatim: "As applicable under the respective Scheme Guidelines, including NER and Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh." The item closes, verbatim: "The applicable ceiling of subsidy and other component-specific conditions shall remain as prescribed in the revised Scheme Guidelines." The circular opens by stating its own commencement, verbatim: "following amendments in the Scheme Guidelines shall be applicable with immediate effect".”

“Item 3, "Revision in Rate of Financial Assistance", verbatim: "The rate of subsidy/financial assistance under various components has been revised." Its table lists six components against two columns headed "General Area" and "NER/Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas and specified UTs*", at 35% and 45% respectively. "Integrated Mushroom Units" is the fourth of the six. The asterisk is defined directly below, verbatim: "As applicable under the respective Scheme Guidelines, including NER and Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh." The item closes, verbatim: "The applicable ceiling of subsidy and other component-specific conditions shall remain as prescribed in the revised Scheme Guidelines." The circular opens by stating its own commencement, verbatim: "following amendments in the Scheme Guidelines shall be applicable with immediate effect".”

“Chapter 02, Scheme No. 01, cost norms table, item 1 (vi) (PDF p.17, printed page 7). Item column, verbatim: "Integrated Mushroom Production Unit in project mode". Cost norms column, verbatim: "As per NHB norms for a minimum installed capacity above 50 MT and upto 300 MT in controlled conditions @ Rs. 75000/MT without canning and @ Rs. 85000/ MT with Canning including Production Unit + Compost making Unit." Pattern of assistance column, verbatim: "Credit linked subsidy @ 40% of eligible project cost in General area and @ 50% of eligible project cost for NER and Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas and UTs of Andaman &Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh." Those two percentages were cut to 35% and 45% by NHB's Public Circular of 21 August 2026, cited separately on every rate this record publishes. Read with Chapter 04, Important Instructions, item 16 (PDF p.51, printed page 40), verbatim: "In case of cold storage/CA storage, Mushroom, Ripening chamber, Reefer Van, Cold room and Pre-cooling unit, the EPC is worked out on the basis of capacity." Chapter 01 dates the whole instrument: "The Scheme guidelines shall be effective from 01.01.2025."”

“Chapter 02, Scheme No. 01, cost norms table, item 1 (vi) (PDF p.17, printed page 7). Item column, verbatim: "Integrated Mushroom Production Unit in project mode". Cost norms column, verbatim: "As per NHB norms for a minimum installed capacity above 50 MT and upto 300 MT in controlled conditions @ Rs. 75000/MT without canning and @ Rs. 85000/ MT with Canning including Production Unit + Compost making Unit." Pattern of assistance column, verbatim: "Credit linked subsidy @ 40% of eligible project cost in General area and @ 50% of eligible project cost for NER and Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas and UTs of Andaman &Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh." Those two percentages were cut to 35% and 45% by NHB's Public Circular of 21 August 2026, cited separately on every rate this record publishes. Read with Chapter 04, Important Instructions, item 16 (PDF p.51, printed page 40), verbatim: "In case of cold storage/CA storage, Mushroom, Ripening chamber, Reefer Van, Cold room and Pre-cooling unit, the EPC is worked out on the basis of capacity." Chapter 01 dates the whole instrument: "The Scheme guidelines shall be effective from 01.01.2025."”

“Chapter 02, Scheme No. 01, cost norms table, item 1 (vi) (PDF p.17, printed page 7). Item column, verbatim: "Integrated Mushroom Production Unit in project mode". Cost norms column, verbatim: "As per NHB norms for a minimum installed capacity above 50 MT and upto 300 MT in controlled conditions @ Rs. 75000/MT without canning and @ Rs. 85000/ MT with Canning including Production Unit + Compost making Unit." Pattern of assistance column, verbatim: "Credit linked subsidy @ 40% of eligible project cost in General area and @ 50% of eligible project cost for NER and Himalayan States, Scheduled Areas and UTs of Andaman &Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh." Those two percentages were cut to 35% and 45% by NHB's Public Circular of 21 August 2026, cited separately on every rate this record publishes. Read with Chapter 04, Important Instructions, item 16 (PDF p.51, printed page 40), verbatim: "In case of cold storage/CA storage, Mushroom, Ripening chamber, Reefer Van, Cold room and Pre-cooling unit, the EPC is worked out on the basis of capacity." Chapter 01 dates the whole instrument: "The Scheme guidelines shall be effective from 01.01.2025."”

“Item 1, "Revised Definition of Family and Eligibility", verbatim: "For the purpose of determining eligibility under NHB Schemes, the term “family” shall comprise the applicant's spouse, father, mother, sons and daughters." Its bullets, verbatim: "Only one member of a family shall be eligible to avail financial assistance under NHB Schemes, whether individually or through HUF, partnership/proprietorship firm or as a Director of a Company, subject to the applicable provisions."; "Once financial assistance has been availed by any member of an applicant’s family under any NHB Scheme/component, no further financial assistance shall be admissible to any other member of the same family under any NHB Scheme/component, irrespective of any unutilised portion of the maximum admissible ceiling."; "The restriction shall apply across all NHB Schemes/components and shall constitute the final entitlement of the family."; "Where financial assistance has already been availed by an FPO/FPC/Company, its members shall be eligible to avail assistance once in their individual capacity, subject to the revised definition of family."; "Suppression, misrepresentation or furnishing of incorrect information for obtaining financial assistance shall render the applicant liable for recovery of the assistance released along with applicable interest." This REPLACES the narrower definition still printed in the January 2025 guideline itself, whose Chapter 01 reads "The term family shall refer to the husband, wife, and dependent minor children" and allows that "any or all members are eligible to avail benefits under the scheme". Under the circular only one member may.”

“Item 2, "Categories Not Eligible for NHB Assistance", verbatim: "The following categories shall not be eligible for financial assistance under NHB Schemes: 1. Present holders of Constitutional Posts; 2. Present Ministers, Ministers of State, Members of Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha, Members of State Legislative Assemblies/Councils, Mayors of Municipal Corporations and Chairpersons of District Panchayats; 3. Serving employees of Central/State Government Ministries/Departments, PSUs, Autonomous Bodies and Local Bodies, except MTS/Class-IV/Group-D employees; 4. Superannuated/retired pensioners receiving monthly pension of ₹10,000/- or more, excluding MTS/Class-IV/Group-D employees; and 5. Group of Farmers." It then provides, verbatim: "Family members of persons falling in the above categories may, however, avail one-time assistance, subject to the applicable provisions of the revised definition of family." The bar on a "Group of Farmers" is reflected in NHB's own reissued eligible-organisations list, which drops "Association/Group of Growers" from the list the January 2025 guideline prints.”