STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan - Aiming to equip the participants with knowledge and skills as well as develop the right attitude on mushroom production and processing, the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center I (ATI-RTC I) provided Free Seminars on Mushroom Production (morning session) and Mushroom Processing (afternoon session) on February 22, 2019 at the ATI-RTC I Multi-Purpose Hall, Tebag East, Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.
About 200 participants from different municipalities of Pangasinan and nearby provinces participated in the whole day activity, and learned the importance of knowledge, skills and attitude (KSA) in mushroom production and processing. Engr. Rex Dauz and Engr. Jennifer Dauz, known mushroom growers from Mamarlao Multi-Purpose Cooperative in the City of San Carlos, Pangasinan, served as the resource speakers of the activity.
During the Seminar on Mushroom Production, Engr. Rex Dauz talked about the status of mushroom in the region and good production practices for mushroom growing. He showed good production practices in the preparation of spawn grain, fruiting bag, substrate mixture and growing house management. In addition, he stressed that mushroom production endeavor needs dedication, adaptability and discipline. “Bakit tayo mag-engage sa mushroom business? Malaki kasi ang kita dito dahil ito ay isang high value crop. Kaya maganda ang business sa mushroom ngunit kailangan din ng maraming tiyaga at dedikasyon dahil hindi rin basta-basta ang pagka-kabute,”he said.
In the afternoon session, Engr. Jennifer Dauz discussed Mushroom Processing, which highlighted demonstrations on how to make tocino, tapa, atsara and chicharon out of fresh oyster mushroom. “Nakakabuti po sa ating kalusugan ang iba’t ibang pagkain na gawa sa mushroom dahil nutritious food sya. Bukod pa dun ay mapagkakakitaan din natin ito,” she said. As part of their hands-on activity, the participants were given the chance to make mushroom chicharon, which they eventually consumed as their snacks.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rogelio C. Evangelista, Center Director of ATI-RTC I, also graced the activity. He said that the free seminar is open to all interested individuals. He also shared that this year’s free seminars will be strategized into two – center-based and farm-based. “This year’s seminars are more interesting because there will be seminars which will be conducted in one of our accredited learning sites in the region. We will have announcement soon thru our social media accounts whether the seminar is center-based or farm-based,” he proudly said.
The ATI-RTC I’s Career Development and Management Services Section (CDMS) spearheaded the seminar in line with the Institute’s goal to capacitate stakeholders on the latest agriculture and fisher technologies.