TAMPARULI: Rural Development Minister Datuk Jahid Jahim urged participants of a basic course on mushroom cultivation to apply the knowledge gained to generate income and improve the local economy.
He said such courses allow participants to learn new things, explore a field more deeply and increase knowledge in the manufacture of related food products.
He said this when officiating at the course jointly organised by Nurfirdaus Mushroom Village, e-Desa Topokon and Atukoifm at Kampung Rongolis, near here, last Sunday.
Jahid said the opportunity to attend such a course could help generate income and able to change the family’s life if taken seriously.
“Despite just learning the basics, I believe that this knowledge shared by the professionals from Nurfirdaus Mushroom Village can to some extent help all of you take steps towards becoming a successful mushroom entrepreneur,” he said.
According to him, the knowledge of growing mushrooms is expanding due to the efforts of the Government through the Agriculture Department and private companies, as well as the involvement of agropreneurs who continue to advance this industry as one of the potential fields of new crops in Malaysia.
“Therefore, you are not wrong to choose this course, this is a golden opportunity to gain as much knowledge as you can,” he said.
He also praised the efforts of Nurfirdaus Mushroom Village for the idea of producing its downstream products based on mushrooms such as chips to generate income and commercialise their products.
“Hopefully, this programme will benefit and help the community develop themselves and their families through the expert services of Nurfirdaus Mushroom Village,” he said.
Earlier, Yatimah Razimin from e-Desa Topokon said the participants had gained a lot of knowledge in the field of cultivation, care, marketing and techniques to develop mushroom companies.
One participant, Muhamad Syukri, 33, said he was willing to travel all the way from from Betong, Lawas, just to learn about mushroom cultivation.
“Among the topics we learned were how to care for and grow mushrooms, the basics of making mushroom blocks, getting to know the concept of a mushroom house, types of mushroom diseases and pests, and marketing steps.
The participants also received 50 mushroom blocks for free from Nurfirdaus Mushroom Village.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.