My name is Tshewang Pem and I am 33 years old. I have lived in Thimphu prior to Covid-19, selling Chilli powder at the vegetable market.

Now I cultivate mushroom in my village.

My husband used to drive a Taxi and earn some income in Thimphu. But with the Covid-19 lockdown, we could not get enough earnings. So we decided to return to village and work.

The chance to cultivate mushroom as a livelihood came up when I got a chance to attend mushroom cultivation training conducted by Chhukha Dzongkhag.

After the training, the support of Chhukha Dzongkhag administration in the form of end to end support helped me to start the mushroom farm. It was very difficult at first, not knowing what to do and how to begin.

It is so hard to get oak billets. The trees are located far away in the forests and it is so difficult to bring wood nearby the roads.

I would like to pay off my debts incurred during the mushroom farm cultivation. I would like to take excellent care of my mushroom billets and wait for the fruiting and make a livelihood out of mushroom cultivation.