Focus on mushroom cultivation
MORE than 50 farmers attended a Mushroom Production workshop which was focused on improving income, food and nutrition as well as livelihoods of farmers.
According to a statement from the Fiji Crop and Livestock Council (FCLC) CEO Jiu Daunivalu, the workshop was to understand the basics of cultivating mushrooms for most of those who attended.
“More than 50 farmers attended the workshop, and included men and women previously employed in the hospitality, tourism and airline sectors,” she said.
“The workshop provided them with the right knowledge and skills in the oyster mushroom cultivation practice, understanding other varieties and medicinal and nutritional value, cooking practice, and Giant JUNCAO Grass planting and sterilisation.
“It enables the 50 new mushroom farmers to access information and technical advisory support services from the MOA and China JUNCAO Demonstration Centre, at Legalega Nadi. This assists them with production sustainability, quality consistency to the satisfaction of customers, and improvement in food nutrition and livelihoods.”
Given the follow-up visits to mushroom growers it was revealed the farmers were putting their new knowledge into practice according to Mrs Daunivalu.
FCLC stated because of high demand for mushroom training, it would organise similar trainings in the four divisions, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and China JUNCAO Technology Demonstration Centre at Legalega.
The workshop was organised by FCLC, in co-ordination with the MOA, and supported by the European Union (EU) as well as International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), under the Farmers Organisation for African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (FO4ACP) through the Pacific Islands Farmers Organisation (PIFON).