Following our earlier discussion on how lucrative mushroom farming is, here is the concluding part of the writeup.
The Co-founder, Etifarms Global Ltd, Mr. Brownson Etimbuk states that the value of mushrooms is quite enormous, explaining that, edible mushrooms can be grown, packaged, and distributed to end users like restaurants, and supermarts and their farms have served over 5,000 customers within the 3 years of the company’s being a startup.
Mushroom can be made into powder for the consumption of babies and can be added to tea drinks and used to fortify the flours for baking as it adds nutritious value to the diet.
He further describes the fresh mushroom to have a short shelf life, while the dry mushroom can be well packaged, distributed to supermarkets, restaurants, hotels and individuals. The dry mushroom has a six months shelf life.
The co-founder added that Mushrooms can be grilled, fried or cooked as this plant protein does not contain cholesterol, unlike regular protein sources as it helps to mop up the cholesterol in the system.
Equipment
A mushroom substrates is a medium that allows mushroom mycelium (the vegetative part of a fungus consisting a mass of branching threads called hyphae to develop and establish itself. The substrate offers the nutrition and energy that mushrooms require to grow.
The substrate would aid faster production output be done manually which can take a lot of manpower but the aid of the machine to increase the production capacity.
Mushroom mixing machines help to pull the growing nets loaded with substrate and casing onto the growing shelves. As this compost mixing machine used for mixing raw material for better cultivated high-quality mushroom also improves the quality of mixed material as it creates uniform humidity and nutrition distribution.
It is noted that Tunnel, Lamps , Climate system and controls, Ventilation and irrigation, Shelves and growing nets are equally required.
Initial Capital
With less than N150,000, a greenhouse tunnel can be acquired, which are 10m to 15m long and 8m wide readily available from local suppliers.
Funding is also required for mushroom substrate mixer machine with cooling and heating system.
Hence, it is estimated that a small farmer that is well trained and certified in mushroom farming and armed with the right machinery in mushroom farming should get the product registered with the National Administration for Food And Drug Acts (NAFDAC).
Profit
If the demand market for a well-packaged mushroom product is tapped into, the farmer could make about N2million profit in the first year, while it could extend to about N10 million in subsequent years.
Subsequently, such farmer would make an exponential amount as the demand for supply and distribution keeps improving over the years.
