Mushroom Industry in Malaysia: Technology, Issues and Challenges

Mushrooms are fungi that have been known since time immemorial not only as
high protein traditional vegetable/food but as food that has profound health
promoting benefits. Recent scientific studies are now confirming their medical
efficacy as well as identifying their many bioactive molecules. Though there are
over 2 000 edible fleshy mushroom species worldwide only about 100 are
cultivated. The cultivation technologies available range from conventional
sawdust logs to high technology methods where even the environment for the
mushroom’s growth is highly regulated to ensure the production of quality
mushrooms. In Malaysia, mushroom has been cultivated since the early 1970s
and the dominant variety is the grey oyster. In recent years and with increasing
awareness, mushrooms have now been declared as industrial crop by the
Ministry of Agriculture. Many new species are being cultivated and this poses
several challenges including suitable technologies that will ensure a viable
mushroom industry. This forum will provide the platform to dscuss and share the
issues, challenges and initiatives needed to promote the industry.

Malaysia: Mushroom cultivation thriving in Gerisek

First-time visitors to Gerisek, a village 30 kilometres from here, will be attracted by rows of attap-roofed huts dotting both sides of the main road.

Take a closer look and it becomes obvious that these are not human dwellings, but huts erected to grow oyster mushrooms — a Malaysian delicacy.

Gerisek is the country’s oyster mushroom capital.

At least 10 farms are cultivating them, with their combined production of about 150 tonnes a month going to markets in the peninsula and Singapore. Many villagers are also growing the mushroom.

C&C Mushroom Cultivation Farm Sdn Bhd is the pioneer in mushroom farming here, having started the business in 1987.

Managing director Chew Swee King said there were four types of oyster mushroom: white, grey, pink and yellow. Gerisek is popular for the grey variety.

"This variety, which has a better texture, is the product of laboratory research in India. It is rich in fibre and antioxidants," he said. "It is cultivated by tissue culture."

Chew started the business after completing a course in mushroom cultivation conducted by the Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute in 1987.

In his farms, wheat grains are used as the tissue culture medium. The grains are inserted into a bottle-shaped container filled with sawdust for spawning, which takes two months.

Mushrooms start growing rapidly when the cap of the container is removed after the two-month period, and be ready for harvesting in five days. The containers are stacked on shelves in the huts. Each container yields about 250g of mushrooms.

Chew said the ideal temperature for mushrooms to grow was from 25º to 28º Celsius.

"To maintain the temperature range, our huts are built in areas surrounded by trees to provide shelter and oxygen," he added.

English teacher's lesson in mushroom growing pays off

Faiz Mansor, 23, learned from his English teacher Ooi Guan Teck how to grow mushrooms. Here, he is holding one of the oyster mushrooms (cendawan tiram) grown near his home. —NST picture by Ahmad Fairuz Othman

PADANG BESAR:

It took several years of loafing and odd jobs before Faiz Mansor, 23, found his niche growing oyster mushrooms.

Like many of his friends, Faiz set out into the world after completing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.

He moved to Kuala Lumpur to find a job, ending up as an operator in a food packaging factory, with a meagre salary.

Barely able to survive on his salary, he moved back to his family home in Kampung Datuk Ali, Chuping, after a year.

Discouraged and broke, he spent the next few years helping out in the family's padi field and taking up odd jobs.
But his luck changed when a family friend came along.

English teacher Ooi Guan Teck offered to guide Faiz in starting an oyster mushroom farm.

Being a regular visitor to the family, Ooi, who teaches at SK Sintok, Kedah, had known young Faiz for a long time.

"I was sceptical about growing mushrooms. But I decided to give it a try.

"Cikgu Ooi helped me build the mushroom farm from scratch.



"I owe Cikgu Ooi a lot. He taught me all about growing mushrooms without asking for a single sen," said Faiz.

After several months under Ooi's tutelage, Faiz began his own mushroom farm at the backyard of his home.

With the help of 15 of Ooi's pupils, Faiz began constructing his mushroom farm four years ago.

He started out with a single mushroom house, which is a wooden barn fully covered with plastic sheets to retain a cool temperature.

Now, Faiz has four mushroom houses, which produce up to 300kg of mushrooms on a good day.

He currently has four workers and his homemaker wife, Nur Alia Abdullah, 26, helps out with the farm work.

Faiz earns an average of RM5,000 a month from his oyster mushrooms, which he sells to wholesale markets in Kangar and Alor Star. He sells the mushrooms for between RM3 and RM4 per kg.

Growing a batch of oyster mushroom begins with preparing the compost, which consists of chipped rubber tree wood, calcium chloride and bran. The compost is steamed before the mushroom spawns, or seeds, are added.

This mixture is packed into tube-shaped plastic bags with holes punched on the top.

The oyster mushrooms would sprout out of the punched holes within days.

The fan of an oyster mushroom can reach up to 25cm in diameter.

"I never expected to earn a living growing mushrooms. My original ambition was to become a building contractor.

"But after three years of business, I have no regrets entering this field," said Faiz.

"I plan to market my mushrooms to Penang and Kuala Lumpur where they can fetch a higher price.

"In Perlis, local sellers face stiff competition from Thailand. That is why prices are very low here."