Mushroom growing is one of the lucrative farming enterprises that can be carried out on limited space. Consequently, for the first time the Harvest Money expo will provide opportunity to farmers to learn about mushroom farming.
An expert trainer, Abel Kiddu, owns Africa Mushroom Growers, Uganda and will be at the expo to offer training on mushroom growing. Kiddu was one of the best farmers for 2018. The Harvest Money expo will be held between February 15 and February 17 at Mandela National Stadium Namboole in Wakiso district.
Kiddu learnt mushroom farming from his mother, Joyce Wasswa, at Luvuuma zone in Makindye, a Kampala suburb and now owns a multi-million shilling mushroom farm. A graduate of electrical engineering from Makerere University, Kiddu says he quit a lucrataive job to concentrate on growing mushrooms.
“After graduation, I got a job with CNOOC Uganda, but the salary was not meeting all my needs. I needed additional income,” he says. Kiddu’s mother had joined a women development club, where they had been taught about mushroom growing.
“My mother started growing mushrooms at home and would earn about sh20,000 a day. I saw this as an opportunity for me to also get a side income to boost my earnings,” he says.
At Namboole, he will train farmers in the A-Z of making mushroom gardens.
Marketing is one of the challenges things in mushroom farming. However, Kiddu says the market is available.
“I sold my first mushrooms to neighbors and then moved on to supermarkets, hotels and markets such as St Balikuddembe and Nakasero,” he says.
Other important aspects of mushroom production that he will tackle include how to regulate temperature, making mushroom seeds/spawn and waste management.
