One of the advantages of shelf cultivation is on person can do more per day as compared to bag production. The last thing you would like is contamination which can spread like a veld fire on the whole shelf. What do you think of shelf cultivation of oyster mushrooms?
One of the advantages of shelf cultivation is on person can do more per day as compared to bag production. The last thing you would like is contamination which can spread like a veld fire on the whole shelf. What do you think of shelf cultivation of oyster mushrooms?
A lot of noise has been made about the Oyster and Button Mushrooms in Zimbabwe, this to the point where one is tempted to think they are the only types that can be grown, when the truth is far more diverse. In countries that are far more advanced in their Mushroom Industries than Zimbabwe, for example China, the Netherlands and even South Africa, there are upwards of 10 types being grown profitably. As such the question of which mushroom type one should grow in Zimbabwe begs an answer. Why we even chose to bother is because each type has its attributes and preference profile that differs from the others. Availing many different types to the market not only gives the prospect a selection to chose from, it also makes the Industry diverse and richer, as well it removes the need for importation of the other mushroom types, thus stopping the exportation of jobs to the exporting nations.
Factors to consider
:
Knowledge
How much info on the type do you have?
Can you be trained? By who? At what cost?
Are the trainers adequately knowledgeable?
How else will you acquire knowledge? How diverse is your other knowledge source?)
Spawn/Kits Availability
a) Who makes spawn/kits and at what cost to you?
b) What are their terms of business?)
Complexity of the type (link to 1 above)
consider substrate treatment,
spawning process,
investment in infrastructure and working capital
Scale
What amount of production for the type you are planning to do is profitable?
At those levels can you make an easy profit, if not what strategies can you implement to fine tune your scale and use it as leverage for growth?
Market potential/Profitability of the type
Does this mushroom already have a market
Can you create this market?
Are there any first mover premiums and are they worthy the risk of starting an entirely new thing?)
Industrial Profile for the given type
Who are the old growers?
How are they working amongst themselves?
Are there any support structures for new entrants or are there barriers to entry?
Do these enterprises look profitable?
After assessing these factors, have an honest opinion on whether you will make it or not basing on your financial resources, and have a number of scenarios based on your research on how that venture will likely play out. If it will be costly due to marketing costs or research costs, will you be able to bear the burden before breakeven? Honest answers at this point will always allow you to map the most appropriate strategy.
Happy Mushroom Farming folks
By Masimba Mpahlo
All Smiles: Mr Jacob Mbudzi of ZOIC, together with the ZOIC sponsored trainees, Mrs C Muchanyara, M Misihairabwi, and Mr P Wutete of Mupandawana having a feel of watering a real Mushroom Crop at Rockshield Mushrooms a day after their training on 2 August 2012 by Kurima Agro Consultancy. The trip was fully sponsored by the ZOIC.
Photo by Masimba Mpahlo
Background to the Course
The first group of trainees for Kurima Agro Consultancy’s training series came together around 9am on the day expectant of being initiated into the World of Mushroom Cultivation. Of note is that all of these people had visions about starting out as mushroom farmers for a number of years but had not had the opportunity to be trained by people knowledgeable enough on the subject. In some cases cost for the training had been the main stumbling block (Kurima charged USD40/head for pre-booking and USD50 on the day), for some, their chosen trainers had continually postponed on when they would hold their next training. Kurima therefore answered these questions in more ways than one.
Target Audience
Kurima is not only targeting farmers, we are targeting people from all walks of life. The people who turned up, as highlighted above, were mostly people from farming backgrounds, with a notable exception of a computer hardware and software solutions vendor. In the future we hope to be training anyone who is interested in Mushroom Cultivation from soldiers, medical doctors, teachers, bankers, indeed everyone!
Facilitators
As highlighted above, Nyasha and Masimba are mushroom Technicians, indeed farmers who have dedicated well over 5 years each in Mushroom Cultivation. Nyasha is the founder of Mushtella Specialty Mushrooms, he has visited South Korea and been trained in cultivating a number of Mushroom types on sponsorship from the MushWorld foundation. Masimba Mpahlo is the co-founder of Rockshield Mushrooms which is based in Harare. He was employed as a Spawn Technician by the SIRDC in Harare, and later CCQ Lozane Farms in Maputo Mozambique as Business Development Manager Mushrooms before joining his elder brother Farai Mpahlo in founding Rockshield Mushrooms.
Purpose of course
This course was designed with a focus on the start-up farmer. This group of people normally have basic questions on how to grow mushrooms. As such this course was more of an introductory exposé. As much as it had thought provoking content, we always encourage our participants that they both read further on the trained aspects and keep in touch with Kurima when they finally chose to implement their learning in setting up their own project.
Theory and Practicals
This course was delivered in two parts, theory and practical. The theory formed the greater part of the course and the practicals were used to augment the learning gained in the best part of the day. During the practical session, participants were allowed to have hand-ons in the spawning process that takes place on a mushroom farm, they were shown the pasteurisation process, how to handle, assess, and measure out spawn for a typical Oyster Mushroom crop. They were made to use the hygienic techniques used by farmers when mushrooms are being spawned. Thereafter participants were allowed to take their spawned bags with them home and observe how mushrooms will start growing.
Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Hatcliffe
The Institute of Agricultural Engineering in Hatcliffe was selected as the site of choice for the training by Kurima Agro on account of its proximity to the Harare CBD. We felt that since the target market was Harare, we had to be as close to the source market as possible. In retrospect that venue was the best both in proximity to the CBD and in quality of facilities; the Lecture Theatre of the Training Centre is adequately furnished. As much as it may need a few touch ups to keep the standards up, it proved a very good venue with no outside noise
Continuous Improvement
As much as the venue was chosen for its proximity to Harare, a good number of the participants pointed out that a Mushroom Farm would have been the best venue in that it gives the trainees an opportunity to see the processes discussed, at work. Kurima will strive to strike a balance between these two approaches.
Next Event
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the next training, originally slotted for the same venue on 6 September 2012, has been shifted to a later date. Enquiries are invited, and these can be forwarded to Kurima in these ways:
Cell 0772 888752, 0773 842677
E-mail: kurimaagro@gmail.com
Twitter: @Kurima_Agro
Facebook: Kurima Agro Consultancy
Casing is key to high yields. It must hold enough moisture but allowing aeration. Do not over water u don’t want the water to get to the compost. If you are not sure buy casing soil from experts.
As opposed to other trainners in the country Kurima has a unique proposition. Many people have been trained but have failed to grow or they have grown and failed. We have done research and found the following are challenges.
Support: Kurima will give u support after trainning to ensure you are successfull. We will provide inputs on credit or low prices, spawn is a crucial input in mushroom production. We have made plans and through Mushtella one of Kurima Agro partners we will guarantee spawn supply.
Market: Many fail to start because they have concerns on marketing for those who start marketing becomes a challenge and Kurima is saying once trainned we will buy mushrooms from our trainees and others in the industry.
I hope to see you at this unique training by the best minds in the mushroom industry in Zimbabwe.
By Nyasha Mupaso (mushtella)
Mushroom Cultivation involves the value addition of ordinarily nuisance waste materials into valuable finished products like edible culinary and medicinal mushrooms. Wastes such as plant remains (e.g.maize stover, corncorbs, husks, and bran), industrial by products such as cotton husk, brewers’ grain and sawdusts, water pollutants such water hyacinth and reeds are ordinarily obtained and used. To these spawn is added after pastuerisation, and after incubating for 2-4wks depending with selected materials, mushrooms are harvested.
Spawn which in essence is a culture of a desired mushroom strain plays a crucial role in this activity. In fact spawn inavailability has resulted in the collapse of many mushroom projects in the Third World. It is made by reputable and well equipped laboratories according to set standards to arrive at the level of purity required at the farm as such demands sizeable outlays which in most cases cannot be single handedly afforded. It will be comforting for all our future clients to appreciate that our Associate Organization, Mushtella are a spawn supplier and are willing to assist all our clients with a wide variety of spawn types and strains to suit their needs.
Mushroom Cultivation is an activity that can be done by anyone. The determining qualities on whether an individual can be a successful grower or not are a) initiative b) innovation c) business acumen d) soft skills e) leadership ability. As much as technical knowhow forms the backbone of the enterprise, it is not sufficient to ensure the ability of a start up project to succeed in its operating environment. In short an astute technoprenuer can set up and run a successful mushroom project.
Mushroom Cultivation in Zimbabwe is presently offering great opportunities to entrepreneurs that are willing to take on the start up risks associated with such a lowly subscribed activity. With a sizeable portion of the locally consumed mushrooms being imported chiefly from South Africa and Botswana, local buyers will always be looking for local alternatives that compete well on price and quality. There are as well many types coming into the country that have never before made it onto the country’s retail shelves. These ‘new’ types will always invite ‘first mover premiums’ much lucrative than tobacco or wheat farming. The market is even much fun when one appreciates that the only other strong mushroom producer in the region is South Africa. There are nevertheless sizeable markets for fresh mushrooms in other SADC region nations. With Mozambique for example from far afield as Brazil and Portugal Zimbabwean produce will have a far better competition profile.
The region is generally undergoing a period of peace and economic growth, this entails a growth in the demand for mushrooms as tourism and hospitality continue to boom in growth. As such Zimbabwe being along the North-South trade corridor is even better positioned to tap into the growth than South Africa and this is even true for mushrooms ordinarily accepted and relished by the middle class in most societies.
Mushrooms have always been appreciated for their culinary and medicinal value in the Eastern cuisine. As people become aware of the merits of these approaches to wholesome living in opposition to the old way of treating culinary and medicinal properties of food in separation, more mushrooms will be consumed locally.
In Zimbabwean economic terms, as disposable incomes improve, the middle class is growing and with it the demand for classy dishes such as mushrooms. As such now is the time to start growing mushrooms. We are also ceased as a nation with a need to manage our wastes for a higher quality of life, mushroom cultivation kills two birds with one stone in that is both ecologically and economically affective.
As Kurima Agro we have appreciated the gap between the prospective mushroom grower’s entrepreneurial spark and the actual implementation of the idea. In between the two ends lie the vacuum called ignorance. Many mushroom start-ups are not so much killed by lack of capital as they are by lack of knowledge. This reality is worsened by the fact that those government agencies and institutions responsible with dissemination are either incapacitated, non-responsive or both, or worse still led by poorly equipped university freshmen.
We have a collective experience in the Industry both local and abroad of over 15 years. We have suffered the same frustrations as yourselves in setting our own projects. We know what failure means and we know how worse it feels when you take the step to acquire pre-requisite knowledge but yet still are faced with ignorance based challenges. Kurima itself is buttressed n a thirst for knowledge even better a desire to facilitate the exchange of knowledge between peoples from different specialties. This is because we believe Zimbabwe’s economy is agro-based and that its growth can be catalysed through the cross pollination of minds- entrepreneurial minds.
As Kurima Agro we will not proffer a one size fits approach to knowledge. We will offer our clientele with courses presently in Mushroom Cultivation, immediately, in Oyster Mushrooms, a type we strongly consider a springboard. In the succeeding courses we will offer other mushroom types. Most immediately Shiitake, but we do hope to train in as many mushroom types as Zimbabweans would want to profitably partake in and healthily relish.
Our method of training will remain practical as we seek to impart the knowledge we have. In this manner we will be holding short 1 day duration courses. As part and parcel will be growing manuals for sale and free issue. We will make sure to include as much short videos content as possible and as well practical sessions during which each participant will be able to grasp and test the knowledge acquired in a practical setting.
Why don’t you join us for our first course entitled
Waste to Taste to Cash
@The Institute Of Agriculture Engineering Hatcliffe
1 Scam Way Hatcliffe
From 9am till 4pm
Cost USD40/head before date and USD50/head on the date
On Thursday 2 August 2012
training date. Payments can be done via Eco-Cash. Call Masimba on 0772888752 or Dzikamai 0733816895 for more details.
by Masimba B. Mpahlo (Rockshield mushrooms)
For the agriculture industry in Zimbabwe to continue to grow there is need to have professional training and consultancy services. it is this background that Kurima agro was formed to help in the training of farmers in mainly horticulture, aquaculture and animal husbandry.
Get in touch for trainning or consultancy in these and other areas.
kurimaagro 