Economic importance of mushroom farming in Nigeria

Mushroom farming is one of the most profitable agri-business that you can start with a low investment and less space.
It is cheaper to set up a mushroom farm because it requires little space to grow and can be started with N15,000 to N50,000 depending on how big you want your mushroom farm to be.
As earlier stated mushroom farming is multi-million dollar venture.
Oyster mushrooms take less than 40 days to mature and a plot of farm with 1,000 bags platforms can give potential investors as much as 2 tonnes of produce and each kilogramme goes for an average price of N2,000 and this can translate to as much as N4 million in sales revenue.
Mushrooms can be used for pizzas, pastas, appetizers and more.
They are highly demanded in the food market and usually recommended by doctors and nutritionists.
Because of its rich nature, mushroom is one of the most sought after vegetables by most hotels and restaurants where it’s use as a delicious addition to local meals and intercontinental dishes.
Although, due to the lack of standard statistic management in Nigeria, the percentage of the consumption or demand of mushroom in the country cannot be holistically established, but an average of 9 out of every 10 Nigerians eat mushrooms (the lack of consumption is due to the fact that the vegetable is not in the market as very few people are into the farming of this highly profitable produce).
The National Farmers Information Service (NAFIS), have shown that Nigeria produces 300 tonnes of mushrooms per year against a demand of 1,200 tonnes.
No doubt, the produce will enjoy massive patronage if made available in the market as it is of important nutritional, health and cultural value to most Nigerians.

• Export
Mushrooms can be dried and exported as a cash crop to key mushroom markets like the United States, India, United Kingdom etc.
The Nigerian government can also take advantage of this and buy the produce or partner with mushroom farmers to make it a foreign exchange earner especially now that it is trying to diversified the economy from an oil-dependent one.
Mushrooms can also contribute to the national GDP.
A 2015 report by the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center showed that each person in the United States consumed, on average, around 3 pounds of mushrooms.
In 2019, a pound of mushroom sold for $6 in the United States.
No doubt, both the Nigerian government and farmers/investors will make millions of dollars from exporting mushroom