Handsome harvest: Muhamad Lokman Hakim with his sisters Puteri Nurin Sabirah (centre) and Puteri Nurin Darwisyah proudly showing the oyster mushrooms they cultivate in Kuala Krai, Kelantan. — Bernama
KUALA KRAI: Three siblings from Kampung Desa Kasih here have been generating almost RM10,000 a month from the sale of oyster mushrooms that they have been cultivating since last year.
Muhamad Lokman Hakim Md Sabri, who is a technician, said he had initially cultivated oyster mushrooms just to fill his spare time. Eventually, his two sisters, Puteri Nurin Darwisyah, 23, and Puteri Nurin Sabirah, 20, decided to help him cultivate the mushrooms as a side income.
“We started buying blocks of oyster mushrooms at RM1.60 per unit and as of now we have 3,000 blocks,” he told Bernama at his residence here yesterday.
Muhamad Lokman Hakim, 25, said residents and traders around Kuala Krai kept them busy as they had to meet the demand of nearly 30kg of mushrooms per day.
“We did not expect the sale of oyster mushrooms to be so popular, and in addition to having regular customers, we also sell them online using social media platforms to increase our income.
“To get maximum yield and quality, the temperature of the mushroom nursery or house needs to be humid. The environment must be clean too,” he said, adding that he harvested the mushrooms twice a day, in the morning and evening.
Muhamad Lokman Hakim expressed hope that he would receive assistance from related agencies as he was planning to sell blocks of oyster mushrooms to help anyone interested in mushroom cultivation.
“To produce oyster mushroom blocks, we need three materials, which 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 then cooled for 24 hours. After that, it is stored in a humid temperature room,” he said.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/09/16/mushroom-farming-brings-siblings-rm10000-a-month?
