KUALA KRAI – Three siblings from Kampung Desa Kasih here have generated almost RM10,000 a month from the sale of oyster mushrooms that they have been cultivating for the past year.
Muhamad Lokman Hakim Md Sabri, 25, said at the initial stage, he grew oyster mushrooms to fill his spare time as he had a lot of free time working as a technician.
“Seeing the potential, my two sisters, Puteri Nurin Darwisyah, 23, and Puteri Nurin Sabirah, 20, have helped me to cultivate the mushrooms to generate side income.
“We started buying blocks of oyster mushrooms at RM1.60 per unit little by little and as of now we have 3,000 blocks,” he said when met by reporters at his residence, here today.
Muhamad Lokman Hakim said the high demand from residents and traders around Kuala Krai had kept them busy as they had to fulfil the requests of nearly 30 kilogrammes (kg) of mushrooms per day.
“We did not expect the sales of oyster mushrooms to be very popular and in addition to having regular customers, we also sell them online using social media platforms to increase our income.
“To get maximum and quality results, the temperature of the mushroom nursery or house needs to be humid and with a clean environment,” he said, adding that he harvested the mushrooms twice a day – in the morning and evening.
Muhamad Lokman Hakim also expressed hope that his efforts would garner support from related agencies as he was planning to sell blocks of oyster mushrooms to help any individual who is interested in cultivating the fungus.
“To produce oyster mushroom blocks, we need three materials. These are rubber wood dust, rice bran and agricultural lime which are all mixed and blended using a machine.
“The material is steamed for six hours in a barrel and will be cooled for 24 hours before being stored in a humid temperature room,” he said. – Bernama, September 15, 2022
