Vedanta Aluminium Expands Livelihoods for Women in Rayagada Through Mushroom Cultivation
9th May 2026
Bhubaneswar, Odisha; 9th May 2026: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has undertaken a successful demonstration of scientific mushroom cultivation in the tribal districts of Rayagada, training 76 women in Kashipur block. Through this effort, it has expanded the range of livelihood avenues available to women in the region, offering a scalable, low‑investment income model for rural households.
The pilot project has been implemented in villages such as Dumerpadar and Porlong, where participants have undergone hands-on training in bed preparation, seeding, bag filling, and scientific cultivation techniques. The participants have also been supported with essential inputs, including chuna, besan, mushroom seeds, and cultivation bags, enabling them to immediately apply their learnings at the household level. In addition, each participant was provided two mushroom beds to begin cultivation.
Initial production cycles under the project have yielded 1–1.2 kg per bed per cycle, with an input cost of approximately ₹25 per bed and an average market price of ₹150 per kg, indicating a return on investment of nearly 500% and highlighting the model’s high viability as a supplementary income source. Of the 140 beds distributed, nearly 100 are in active production, with beneficiaries expected to produce close to 2 kg per cycle on average.
The initiative adds to Vedanta Aluminium’s efforts to encourage household-level micro-enterprises, particularly for women in land-constrained and remote tribal communities. Based on initial outcomes, the company plans to further scale the programme to 10,000 beds and an equal number of spawn packets.
Chandrika Naik, a beneficiary from Dumerpadar village, said, “Through this initiative, we have learned scientific mushroom cultivation and are now able to earn from our homes. The project by Vedanta is helping us support our families and undertake combined efforts to develop our communities.”
Her husband, Mukhmal Naik, added, “Earlier, we were forced to depend only on farming to sustain ourselves and our families. Now, with this additional income, we are able to manage household expenses better. We will make every effort to support the success of this project.”
Vedanta Aluminium has undertaken a wide range of livelihood generation initiatives across Odisha. In Jharsuguda, the Subhalaxmi Cooperative supports over 5,000 women across 440 self-help groups through access to microfinance, enterprise training, and structured savings. In Kalahandi, Project Sakhi has enabled more than 3,000 women to engage in farm and non‑farm livelihoods, strengthening household incomes and economic resilience.
Over the years, Vedanta Aluminium has positively impacted over 12,000 women across Odisha through structured livelihood interventions, with a strong focus on skilling, enterprise development, and market integration. This experience informs the company’s approach in Rayagada, where livelihood programmes are being expanded in a phased manner, adapted to local conditions such as access, resource availability, and household economic patterns.
By integrating pilot-based learning with proven large-scale models, the company continues to strengthen women-led livelihood ecosystems across Odisha, with a focus on long-term income generation and community resilience.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited Business:
Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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