A mushroom plant scientist, Prof. Sami Ayodele, has explained how the federal government can earn around N1tn annually from mushrooms cultivation.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Ayodele stated this in Abuja on Thursday while delivering the National Open University of Nigeria’s 22nd inaugural lecture with the topic: “Mushrooms: Friends or Foes.”
He stated that the government must educate citizens about the benefits of mushroom growing for wealth generation and poverty relief.
“It is imperative for the government to commence elaborate sensitisation of citizens about mushroom cultivation for wealth creation and poverty alleviation since it has a lot to contribute to the economy of the nation,” he said.
According to Ayodele, Professor of Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, NOUN, the country might generate up to N1 trillion per year if the sector is adequately developed.
He pointed out that the mushroom sub-sector and its value chain have the potential to offer 30 million skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled jobs to the growing number of graduates who are unable to find work, vulnerable young people, and women.
“Mushroom cultivation could have great economic and social impacts by generating income and employment for both women and youths, particularly in rural areas of developing countries.
“For instance, in China, it was estimated that the export value of mushrooms was about $1.6 billion and the total employment in the mushroom industry was over 30 million people.
“Out of this population, only 10 per cent are actual mushroom farmers, others fall within sectors such as food, beverage manufacturing, trading and management, transport, marketing, retailing, export and so on.
“The global demand for mushrooms has continued to increase significantly according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report, while the market for mushrooms is huge and growing exponentially.
“The world mushroom market as at the end of 2020 stood at about $45.3 billion with China producing the highest.
“In Africa, only South Africa, Madagascar, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Algeria and Morocco grow mushrooms on a large scale, while Nigeria, the giant of Africa, does not feature in African mushroom production scale, not to talk about world production scale,” Ayodele said.
