The National Mushroom Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria has called on the governments to address challenges hindering growth in the mushroom subsector in the country.
This, it said, would enable mushrooms producers to benefit from the products’ $45.3bn global market.
The association also advocated the inclusion of the subsector into the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The President of the Association, Michael Awunor, made this call at the opening of the 15th National Mushroom Week held in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the president, the global demand for mushroom has continued to increase significantly and reports by the Food and Agricultural Organization have shown that the global production hit 8.99m tones in 2018.
Awunor added that the global market mushroom was also growing exponentially as the market was estimated at $45.3bn in 2020 and projected to reach $72.5bn by 2027.
These statistics, he said, presented a lucrative and attractive option for Nigeria to key into mushroom production for economic diversification and job creation, adding that the medicinal and nutritional value would greatly enhance the wellbeing of her populace.
He however lamented that a cursory look into the estimated data for mushroom production in Nigeria within the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory showed no evidence of production in some states
