Mushroom project up folk’s income

ITOGON, Benguet -- Peter Pablito, an operator of a small-scale mining tunnel in Barangay Ucab here has doubled his family’s income after venturing into mushroom production introduced by the management of Benguet Corp., the country’s oldest mining company.

In an interview, Pablito bared that the income he is generating from what he first thought to be just a “sideline” is about equal now with what he is deriving from his main livelihood small-scale mining, considering how thriving the industry of mining is at present.

Pablito related that after finishing their training sometime July last year, he applied what he learned, starting with 800 fruiting bags that he prepared in an enclosed structure beside his house. Two months after, he started selling his produce.

Though what he is harvesting is still modest in volume, he was able to network with his trainer, who is supplying him with additional mushroom starters, which made him sell an average of 400 kilos a month.

Buoyed by this development and the potential for an even bigger profit, he is now targeting more areas in his backyard from which to propagate mushrooms which he will sell to interested buyers from other barangays of the mineral-rich town.

Pablito is just one among the local residents who put into good use the mushroom growing livelihood training that they received from Benguet Corporation which is inclined to provide alternative sources of livelihood for villagers within its host and neighboring communities.

“We are happy to have an added source of income for my family aside from our being involved in small-scale mining,” Pablito said.

He added he is earning substantial income of around P40,000 from his earlier P20,000 monthly income while working as a small scale mining alone.

A women’s group in Poblacion, Itogon, which is part of the first batch who took advantage of the free training, continue to sustain and expand their commercial production for almost two years now and are now contributing to the stability of supply of mushroom in the different parts of the province.

All of the program beneficiaries underwent hands-on training at the mining company’s Mushroom House and an educational tour/farm visit to the Central Luzon State University in Nueva Ecija, which specializes on mushroom production.

Benguet Corp, through its social development and management program, has made mushroom growing the main focus of its livelihood initiative for its host and neighboring communities over the past several years thereby helping sustain descent sources of livelihood for the villagers.