Antique farmers taught mushroom production

By Arlene Edna V. La Vega
Regional Applied Communications
OPA Antique/ WESVARRDEC

To help augment the income and livelihood of the farmers in Antique, a training on mushroom production was recently conducted at the Farmers Information Technology Services (FITS) Center Sibalom in Sibalom, Antique.

Some 30 farmers from 11 barangays of Sibalom, namely—Igcococ, Tula-tula, Bontol, Lacaron, Inabasan, Initan, Catunggan, Nagdayao, Egaña, Pis-anan and Pangpang—took part in the training.

Mr. Marcelo Villavert, an entrepreneur and expert on mushroom growing, stressed on the nutritional value and market potentials of mushroom. For farmers to learn and appreciate the technology better, Villavert led a hands-on demonstration wherein farmers were made to prepare crates where they could plant their spawns.

After the lecture screened a video on mushroom production guide, the facilitators also distributed reading materials on the same technology.

Villavert also emphasized that learning does not stop at the training venue but must be applied in the farm and even only in the farmers’ own backyards.

Mr. Junel Pineda, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist in Sibalom, lauded the active participation of the farmers in the training and the support of the Antique Provincial FITS Center based in San Jose de Buenavista and the University of Antique (UA).

UA is the partner member agency for the Techno Gabay Program being bannered by the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC).