Farmers in Tabuk Kalinga to venture into mushroom processing production

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Twenty-five mushroom growers in Barangay Malalao, Tabuk city are venturing into mushroom processing businesses following a two-day skills training provided by the Negosyo Center Tabuk City through DTI-Kalinga on September 8-9, 2022.

The local contribution of the country to mushroom demand is only 10%, according to a study, which is mostly due to a lack of awareness of local mushroom producers of the business opportunities of mushroom business.

It is hoped that the mushroom processing industry in the city will grow and find some market to augment the income of farmers.

In an interview, Business Counselor of NC Tabuk City, Kevin Racraquin, relayed that the skills training aimed at helping the farmers solve their problems with the overproduction of fresh mushrooms in the market through processing them.

The activity, Racraquin added, provides new ideas to convert fresh mushrooms into new products, adding value to their business and more market.

“The locals said in an open forum that, sometimes, the overproduction of mushrooms becomes their challenge, wherein mushrooms rot easily if it lacks ventilation. Underscoring the need to innovate for a healthier environment and sustainable livelihoods, additional capacitation for mushroom processing was recommended to mushroom growers for them to acquire more skills and knowledge in preparing and selling other mushroom-based products,” he said.

Racraquin said the two-day skills exercise consisted of a lecture-discussion on the best production procedures for successful mushroom farming using modern technology.

Additionally, the participants engaged in hands-on activities to practice the procedures involved in producing items made of mushrooms.

Among the products introduced to the farmers were mushroom chicharon, mushroom pastillas, mushroom longganisa, mushroom tocino, and mushroom dinakdakan.

Meantime, Alma Mae Cortez, owner of Healthy Harvest Farm, shared her expertise in mushroom production and processing techniques to help the participants produce better outputs of mushroom products.

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