Grow more mushrooms, SMEs advised

The National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (Nasme) has urged the country’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to incorporate mushroom production.

Nasme executive director William Mwale told Malawi News Agency (Mana) that mushroom production is profitable because it has established market.

“What I can say is that mushroom production in the recent times has been neglected by these SMEs, but I can assure them that there is a possible market for the mushroom business both locally as well as internationally.

“Currently, very few individuals are into this business. You know we have the button type of mushroom which is seeing a booming market. For example, a kilogramme of this mushroom sells at K1 400 per kilogramme, so people can make a lot of money with it,” he said.

Mwale said the button mushroom seed is imported from South Africa.

“This type of mushroom is grown in Lilongwe and only two people grow it here in Blantyre, but this is not enough looking at the high demand we have out there.

“If we have many Malawians growing mushroom, then the industry will grow. Currently 40 people have shown interest,” he added.

The button mushroom is sold in countries such as Swaziland, Netherlands and others.

Malawi has over the years suffered a narrow export base owing to a few crops that are exported to earn the country the much-needed foreign exchange.

Currently, tobacco is the country’s principal export crop which wires in more than half of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. This year, Malawi expects to realise more than $300 million from tobacco.