ROSALES–A group of farmers expressed optimism that the mushroom industry in the province will soon become a major economic activity here once a proposed P14 million loan from the Department of Agriculture (DA) is secured for a processing plant.

The Balikatan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative based in barangay San Angel here foresees a boom in the production of mushroom with the establishment of a planned processing plant.

Venancio Abalos, a mushroom expert and general manager of the cooperative, said his group is hopeful that the DA will grant the financing through the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF).

Abalos said the cooperative is ready to provide a P5 million counterpart as equity for the project.

The Balikatan Farmers already have a training center and office in Quezon City where they conduct seminars in developing a mushroom business.

The DA encouraged the group to put forward a proposal for the processing plant upon learning about the activities of the training center.

“We are waiting for the inclusion (of the project) in the department’s priority program,” Abalos said.

“Magandang pasukin ang mushroom business,” Abalos said, noting that the country imported about eight million metric tons of mushroom in 2006, 95% of which came from China.

“The Philippines being an agricultural country can very well meet that local demand for mushrooms,” Abalos added as he noted that the local mushroom production last year increased and will continue to increase in the years to come.

“Ang pananaw ko, ito ang magiging food for thefuture or the survival food for the future. Napakadaling patubuin, 12 days lang puwede nang mag-harvest,” he said.

Abalos, who has been in the business for 20 years, said locally-produced mushroom, are mostly just the kabuteng-saging (button mushroom) variety and there is plenty of room for expansion not just for local demand but also for export.

Aside from the kabuteng-saging, farmers can also produce other mushroom varieties such as taingang-daga, Shitaki mushroom, oyster mushroom, and ganoderma mushroom.

Once the processing plant is established, Abalos said, the country can export mushrooms to other countries like Taiwan, China, Palau, Marshall Island, South Korea, Jordan, United States, among others.

“Yung puwedeng ilagay sa lata at patuyuin ang mga kabute dahil very perishable ito,” he added.

Abalos said he already started culturing ganoderma mushroom, a medicinal variety, a year ago.

A kilo of taingang-daga in the market costs about P600, kabuteng-saging about P300, shitaki mushroom P850, and ganoderma mushroom about P5,000.—CSR

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