Mushroom Production Among Yolanda Survivors

Mushroom Production Among 

Yolanda Survivors 

By: James Earl E. Ogatis

Mushroom Production: Yolanda survivors from San Enrique, Iloilo pose in front of mushroom fruiting bags which will serve as startup material for their community-based mushroom production. (DA-Rice Program photo)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) 6 has intensified the conduct of training on community-based mushroom production among 200 typhoon Yolanda survivors in Western Visayas.

 Community-based mushroom production is one of the immediate assistance of the DA to provide income generating project to rice farming communities affected by the typhoon.

 Dir. Larry P. Nacionales of DA 6 said that the project will be the source of nutritious food to households knowing that mushroom contains very high Vitamin D, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Selenium. It is a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin C, Folate,

Iron, Zinc and Manganese.

 “This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol”, Nacionales stressed.

 “This project addresses the problem on burning of rice straws in the fields because this is the primary raw material needed for making mushroom fruiting bags.” Nacionales explained.

The potential of mushroom culture in typhoon affected areas is viable and doable because of the availability of raw materials, small area requirement and less capital needed for investment.

Elmer Cabusas, focal person on mushroom production said that production cost for one fruiting bag weighing 700 kilograms is Php12.00. This can produce 300 grams to 900 grams of fruits which can be sold at Php160.00/kilo.

Cabusas added that the farmer organization can also directly sell its fruiting bags at Php25.00/bag which will immediately provide them with Php13.00 profit per bag.

He stressed that the Morales Farmers Association of Balete, Aklan is now selling their fruiting bags to the neighboring local government units and private individuals. They hired full-time farmer to take care of the mass production of mushroom fruiting bags just to cater to the demand.

Other farmers organization trained on mushroom production are Camp Eupre Farmers Association of Barbaza, Antique; BALMAT Irrigators Association of Sigma, Capiz; Brgy. Masgarua, Jamindan, Capiz; Agusipan Farmers Association of Badiangan, Iloilo and Bayuyan Farmers Association of Estancia, Iloilo.  /MP