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Mushroom growers say the crop has economic benefits
2008-04-02 10:39:53
By Patrick Kisembo
Enterpresneurs involved in mushroom farming have dismissed widespread myths that the crop has no economic benefits and nutritional value.
This was said by mushroom farmers at the conclusion of their farming training course at the Tanzania Industrial Research and Development Organisation (Tirdo) in Dar es Salaam recently.
Speaking on behalf of other trainees, Saul Aswile, one of the participants, criticised people who hold obverse view that mushrooms were poisonous and that the little edible ones were not nutritional.
``We benefit a lot from mushrooms, both on the nutritional aspects as well as on the economic point of view.
Many countries that have mushroom business are now benefiting through exportation of the same,`` he said.
On his part, Mohamed Kavura, said mushroom farming could change the lives of small and medium entrepreneurs because of the produce`s reliable and growing market.
``There are people who have already tested the benefits of marketing these produce, although it is necessary to work hard in exploring internal market before exporting the same,`` he said.
Onesia Alexander, a laboratory technician and facilitator of the programme, said mushroom farming provides an alternative to agriculture and could improve the social economic standards of the people.
She said: ``Mushrooms did not receive global acceptance over the years because a number of naturally growing mushrooms are poisonous``.
Alexander said the situation has now changed because the cultivated edible mushrooms were totally fit for human consumption.
The Tirdo Director General, Dr Asifa Nanyaro said his organisation has been organising research, preparing and storing mushroom seeds (spawns), spawn making and training mushroom entrepreneurs.
The organisation has already trained more than 2000 SMEs from different regions-Mwanza, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Morogoro, Coast, Iringa, Tanga, Ruvuma and Dar es Salaam.
Mushroom farming started in the country in the1990s, though the practice has been taking place in many countries for a long time.
Reports show that there are many countries in the world whose economies depend on mushroom farming and exports.
In 1997, according to global statistics, mushroom production reached 6.2 million tonnes, out of which Africa contributed only 1 per cent.
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