THE PROSPECT AND CHALLENGES OF WHITE OYSTER MUSHROOM MARKETING (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the prospects and challenges of white oyster mushroom production and marketing in Davao City. This was conducted at Baguio Calinan District, Davao City, from March 2022 to May 2022 for 3 months duration. The mushroom production at Rosit Cacao Farm started in March 2022 as a trial with a 70 square meters (70 m2) house. One thousand fruiting bags (1,000) weighing one kilogram each with three propagules that cost Php 30.00 each were purchased from the small-scale mushroom culture laboratory at Manambulan, Davao City. For the ready-to-fruit fruiting bags used in the start-up business, the sanitation practices are based on technical recommendations from the Bureau of Plant Industry and Department of Agriculture—XI Mushroom Production Division. The mushrooms were harvested once they reached the desired sizes. Fruiting usually takes 2-3 weeks after incubation before the harvestable fruit size emerges, and fruiting bag productivity can last up to six (4) months under favorable conditions. Observation showed that using packaging materials and chiller, the shelf life of the mushrooms was only 4 days at most. Marketing via an online platform was used by the operators to gain more attention from prospective buyers. Based on inquiries from the local wet markets and restaurants, they are not selling white oyster mushrooms because vendors and customers are not used to buying them and there were no white oyster mushrooms available in supermarkets. For the duration of 3 months, the total volume of fresh oyster mushroom sold was only 107.5 from the 252.5 kilograms total yield. The first and second month have the highest yield per day, averaging to 4.6 kilograms per day, with an average harvest day of 25 days a month and decreased to a once-a-day basis further. The average daily yield was only 2.3 kilograms until the end of the third month. Mushroom production is indeed a promising opportunity as per previous reports and theory, but based on this study, there is a need to establish a stable market and the management aspects. The technology is factually critical and complex, but due to practical thinking skills, many were able to generate profit without investing in the whole technology itself. Stil, mushroom production shows potential aspect to the household women and farmers as additional income.