Mushroom Cultivation in Maldives: Challenge and Revolution

Dr. Ahmed IMTIAJ

CONCEPTUA !RAME"OR# A$OUT MU%&ROOM
Mushroom is an umbrella-shaped soft delicate fruit body of fleshy fungi grows on the substratum and
survives without sunlight. This divine vegetable is highly nutritious, delicious with excellent flavor and
texture as well as a balanced good food for us. It is also called vegetable meat, royal food, halal
celestial vegetable and beef of farmers with admirable medicinal qualities which is extremely
appropriate for vegetarians and Muslims. It has high economic and food value with unobjectionable
amount of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, fibers, calcium and even vitamins. The amount of protein
in mushroom is double than that of other vegetables. or example, !"" grams of dried mushroom
contains #$.% percent protein while the same quantity of potato contains only &.$ percent protein which
is four folds lesser than mushroom. Mentionable that, in many countries researchers' attention has been
concerned to introduce mushroom to combat cancer, hypertension, blood pressure, diabetes, heart
disease, rheumatic pain, throat inflammation and to control blood cholesterol also. (articularly,
mushroom is absolutely effective in preventing diseases includes cancer, )idney problems, hepatitis,
*I+,, asthma, diabetes, insomnia and tumor.
Mushroom cultivation does not require fungicide, insecticide, herbicide, chemical fertili-er and wide
land. Mushroom seed can be propagated using industrial wastes li)e sawdust of coconut log, corncob,
cotton waste, hus) of soy bean.nuts or any of other agro-residues. Managing a suitable indoor
environment /temperature and humidity0 and proper nursing mushroom cultivation is possible throughout
the year. Mushroom cultivation is a popular income generating activity that can alleviate poverty,
eradicate malnutrition and create employment opportunity for educated, uneducated youths, adolescents,
men and women respectively. 1asically, mushroom farming is labor and management-intensive which
ta)es a considerable level of )nowledge, research, planning and capital investment to set up a production
system. 2omparing with other agro-economic crops mushroom cultivations is more profitable for its low
production cost and high mar)et price. 3sing agricultural waste mushroom can be produced by small,
landless and marginal farmers inside a house apart from their duties undisturbed. In Maldives, there is a
huge prospect and probability of mushroom cultivation because of its land crisis and quite suitable
climate for high volume of mushroom production. Therefore, it could be a potential offer and challenge to
ma)e a revolution by investing a small amount of capital and labor for mushroom farming in every
resort.hotel.motel.home.
$AC#'ROUND O! MADI(E% ) CO*REATION "IT&
MU%&ROOM !ARMIN'
Maldives is the smallest *sian country in terms of population and land area. The estimated
population in the Maldives is about 4"",""" residing approximately on #"" inhabited islands
with a total of land area is less than 4"" square )ilometers. 5f these islands, only 44 have a land
area greater than one square )ilometer. 5ne third and two third of the inhabited islands have a
population of less than 6"" and !,""", respectively. The population density in the country is %&&
per square )ilometer7 one of the highest in the world. The approximate temperature of Maldives
ranges between #8944:2 throughout the year. *lthough the humidity is relatively high, the
constant cool sea bree-es )eep the air moving and the heat mitigated. The weather in
Maldives is affected by the large landmass of ,outh *sia to the north that causes differential
heating of land and water. These factors set off a rush of moisture-rich air from the Indian
5cean over ,outh *sia that acts as a heat buffer, resulting in the southwest monsoon. The
annual rainfall averages #6" and 4;" cm in the north and south, respectively. *griculture and
cottage industries play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of
cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. 5nly !" percent of the land is estimated to be
cultivable. <irtually all rice, a staple food for the population is to be imported. 1readfruit,
mangoes, papayas, limes, bananas, pump)ins, watermelon, taro, and chili peppers are also
valuable imported crops.
It could therefore be said that Maldives is uniquely suitable for introducing mushroom
agriculture, since geo-sociological pattern and agro-climate especially rainfall, temperature
and humidity of Maldives is very co-relatable to successful mushroom farming.
PRIORIT+ ) C&AEN'E% !OR MU%&ROOM !ARMIN' IN MADI(E%
The production of many horticultural crops in,luding mushroom ,an -e greatl. in,reasa-le in
Maldives. #e. initiatives that need to -e addressed in,lude identi/i,ation o/ ne0 1rodu,ts
and te,hnologies to stimulate in,reased 1rodu,tivit.2 -etter deliver. o/ su11ort servi,es and
mar3et in/ormation and a,,ess to ,redit. In this regard mushroom cultivation could be the
potential offer of solution to economic growth. *lthough )nowledge and initiatives are still limited
in the smallest country, yet mushroom is to be focused with priority for sustainable attractive
economic growth. 5ne thing might be said that the different investors.=>5's and farms may have
a challenge to initiate mushroom cultivation in Maldives. It is hoped that the new hut industry of
mushroom cultivation in this country might provide an important tool for income generation and
the creation of food diversity for thousands of households and tourists. 3nli)e other agronomic
crops, the set-up, costs-benefits and space for mushroom cultivation are recommendable.
ertili-ers, machinery and pesticides are not much used, the mar)et price is relatively high and
#
profit margins for mushroom crops can be considerably higher than traditional crops. In general,
the project ta)es very little space and can produce returns within a short period of time. =eedless to
say, any other crop that ta)es an average of four months to reach harvest maturity. This time period
is equivalent to at least two flash of mushroom cultivation. 2onsidering this scenario, the relative
profitability of mushroom and any other cash crops can be compared even the input costs of
mushroom enterprise were to be doubled and would still remain more profitable than that of any
other cash crops. Therefore, potential mushroom cultivation may play a unique role to employment
generation and thus alleviate poverty. The main objective of this study is to introduce an alternative
agriculture which could be potential job and income source as well as to prove the economic
viability of mushroom cultivation and how does it might play to scale up the life style in Maldives.
PRO$EM% !OR CON(ENTIONA A'RICUTURE IN MADI(E%
imited agri,ultural land: *lmost every crop is cultivated in the land but Maldives is tourism
based country with very limited agricultural land. Therefore, conventional agriculture is fully
unsuitable for this country.
%hortage o/ la-or: ,hortage of domestic labor is one of the major problems to run general
agriculture since this country hires labor from foreign countries to meet up her requirement.
4
$UD'ET ) TIME!RAME
%ettlement ,ost
Item o/ ,ost 4uantit. U% Dollar
1oiler.autoclave for sterili-ing substrate ! #,""".""
*ir conditioner ! !,""".""
?umidifier 4 4"".""
@oom /arranged with shelves0 6-$ !,6"".""
5thers /spirit lamps, scissors, needles, etc0 - #"".""
Total5 62777.77
This project proposal considers that every resort/hotel/motel/home may have a room since any type of
room is usable in mushroom farming. Therefore, settlement cost is calculated excluding the construction
cost of a room (100sqf and salary of trained !or"er(s.
8
The life cycle of mushroom is very shorter than any other crops. rom the initiation of non stop
bagging with compost, mushroom farming needs maximum # months to start harvest of fresh
lovely mushroom. *fter that harvest of fresh mushroom will run continuously until.unless
bagging is stopped.
MIE%TONE O! MU%&ROOM !ARMIN' IN MADI(E%
No need large land8s1a,eA Insufficient land is a major problem for conventional agricultural
in Maldives. 1eing a horticultural crop mushroom is cultivated in a hut or room. * room si-e
of !"" square feet is enough to cultivate.harvest approximate !" )ilograms fresh
mushroom.day. Therefore, people who have a home but no cultivable land for conventional
agriculture they can also accommodate mushroom farming at.around their home.
a-or intensive ) Jo- oriented: In mushroom farm, no need strong and energetic labor and
less energetic labor also be engaged in this agriculture. Mushroom growing is labor-intensive and
for countries where jobs are scarce, mushroom growing can create jobs both in semi-urban and
rural areas. In fact, all members of the family can join this agriculture apart from their own duties
undisturbed. The labor of out-of-school youths and even school going children or aged people
can also be engaged, especially as the bagging of substrate and related operations can be easily
done by them. Mushroom growing is also recommended as a project in a cooperative where
division of labor is practiced according to their ability. ,o, successful implementation of the
mushroom farming will help to relief unemployment problem in the country.
Use o/ availa-le agri,ultural 0astes: Mushrooms are grown on some organic substrates,
mostly waste materials from farms, plantations or factories. These otherwise useless by-products
can therefore be recycled to produce value-added mushrooms. 2urrently, millions of tons of
agricultural wastes are discarded, burned and neglected. In the process of mushroom growing,
however, environmental pollution from such practices may be reduced. Bxamples of such agro-
wastes in abundance in the tropics are straw, corncobs, grass, sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, cotton
waste, oil palm waste, coffee pulp, water hyacinth plants, coconut hus)s, tree leaves, branches
and logs. These all can be used alone or in combination to create mushroom growing substrate.
Cith moderate effort and careful management, the very people hungry for food can have within
their grasp a new food source in the form of cultivated mushrooms.
%uita-le /or 0omen and ,hildren: Mushroom cultivation is a most popular activity for
development programs targeting income generation among women because it is suitable for their
wor)s and life style. *s they are especially responsible for household wor)s and ta)ing care of
their children, thus they can easily accommodate their time for mushroom cultivation.
6
!inan,iall. 1ro/ita-le ) Povert. alleviation: +ue to possibility of low cost production, high
profit and quic) return mushroom cultivation has been evaluated as an effective means for
poverty alleviation in developing countries.
No ,hemi,als used ) Environmental /riendl.A 1itter truth is that cultivation and processing of
all of our consumable items especially vegetables and fruits are completely chemical depended.
This phenomenon is one of the biggest threats for our health and environment. In this terrible
circumstance, mushroom cultivation challenges and offers no use o/ ,hemi,als. Therefore,
mushroom farming is completely chemical free and environmental friendly.
&ealth. and sound /ood: The product is highly nutritive due to having all of the essential
ingredients and medicinal properties required for our sound health and a good food for us
especially for children and old parents.
E,onomi,al -ene/it: 2ompare to other cash earning crops mushroom cultivation is
economically feasible. ,o, mushroom growers will be highly benefited by cultivating this new
cash earning crop and thereby ma)ing profit, resulting poverty level might be mitigated.
CONCU%ION ) UNI4UE O!!ER
Mushroom production is the most appropriate job for Maldives where land is extremely limited.
Mushrooms can be grown in the small space of a farmer's own house for small scale production
and generate income that aids in the family support. Mushroom cultivation is a most popular
activity for development programs targeting income generation among women because it is
suitable for the women's life style. The product is highly nutritive and a good food for their
children and old members as well, and because of its high economic value they can also earn a
quantity of income from the production of this horticultural crop. In many areas of the world,
farmers have grown mushrooms in a small scale and have benefited directly. They have managed
to adopt the technology in a simpler way whereby they can afford to invest in a small scale. They
are mainly utili-ing the plant and agricultural wastes. Thus, mushroom cultivation may gear up
economic sustainability and improved the food fashion and life style of many people in
Maldives.
2onsidering the scenarios of Maldives, introduction of mushroom farming may also include the
following unique possible offers-
$
!. Bvery hotel.motel.resort can easily accommodate a small room to introduce mushroom
farming to provide fresh mushroom vegetables to the guest.
#. Mushroom farming could be an attraction to offer foreign guests to consume menu with
home made fresh mushroom in a resort.
4. +omestic mushroom farming may relief from the obligation of importing canned and
preserved mushrooms from the foreign countries.
#$eference section is intentionally "ept blan"%
Interested investors.=>5s are requested to contact author for any )ind of logistic and technical
support to design a project and build up a mushroom farm.
Dr. Ahmed IMTIAJ
*ssociate (rofessor D Mushroom ,pecialist, +epartment of 1otany, 3niversity of @ajshahi, @ajshahi-
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