Nigeria can earn $4bn annually from mushroom export – Expert

Nigeria is capable of earning over $4 billion yearly from the local production of mushroom and export of the commodity if properly harnessed.
The National President of the National Mushroom Association of Nigeria (NAMAN), Chief Michael Awunor disclosed this while addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja.
Speaking shortly after an inaugural meeting of the newly constituted National Executive of NAMAN in Abuja, Chief Awunor said if the cultivation of mushroom is given the serious attention it deserves; it could equally create at least 50,000 jobs annually and remove over 50 million families from poverty.
Awunor said it is high time the nation explored the high potential of mushroom, which according to him is highly prized in advanced countries for the betterment of their citizens.
“Apart from the foreign earnings our country stands to gain, mushroom could as well be used for the clean-up of an oil spill environment, especially, the cleanup of Ogoniland”, he stated.
Chief Awunor also stated that apart from the consumption of mushroom as food, it is used by pharmaceutical companies for the production of medicines.
He listed some of the problems presently facing the growth and farming of the produce as lack of appropriate pricing, consumption rate as well as access to finance.
He solicited government support to enable members of NAMAN to embark on large scale farming of mushroom for local consumption as well as export

Leave a Reply