Jayson Dalapo, Science Research Assistant of DA-RFO 13, demonstrates the proper way of preparing the spawn media.
GIGAQUIT, Surigao del Norte - Thirty farmers from this town attended the Training on Mushroom Production held at the Municipal Learning Site in Brgy. Ipil from June 26-28, 2019 through the funding support of the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center 13.
The said farmers were delighted upon hearing that in just two weeks they could already harvest mushroom from the fruiting bags given to them by the Department of Agriculture - Regional Field Office 13. Moreover, they could also sell their harvested mushroom at P 200.00 per kilo in the market or even earn more if they process it into snack items like kropek and tempura.
Paula Mae Creencia, Project Officer of the training, explained that the training’s aim was to increase the knowledge and skills of the farmers in mushroom growing and thereby providing them alternative ways to increase their income aside from fishing or growing crops and livestock. Moreover, the said training was among the training needs of the municipality identified during the 2018 Provincial Consultation in Surigao del Norte conducted by ATI-RTC 13.
Jayson O. Dalapo and Filbert A. Oro from the Trento Research Station of DA-RFO 13 acted as resource speakers. Topics discussed were: benefits of mushroom production, factors affecting production, tissue culture propagation, best practices of asexual propagation, inoculation, fruiting, and harvesting management. Aside from the lectures, there was also a hands-on demonstration in the preparation of the spawn and fruit bags. During the last day, the participants joined an educational tour at Diwata Farm in Sukaylang, Surigao City.
The mushroom industry in the Philippines is an expanding business with enormous commercial potential. Sadly, its present cultivation is limited due to lack of local knowledge about its culture. Few farmers know the technique in growing mushrooms plus its health and economic benefits. Through the conduct of the mushroom training, the government would be able to intensify its promotion and help poor farmers better their lives.