A Professor of Botany, Sami M. Ayodele, has called on Nigerian citizens to embrace mushroom cultivation as research has shown that it can create wealth, alleviate poverty and enhance human health.
Prof Ayodele, who stated this in Abuja while presenting the National Open University of Nigeria’s 22nd Inaugural Lecture on the topic, “Mushrooms: Friends or Foes”, said it is safe to declare that Nigeria can earn as much as N1trn annually if the sector is properly developed.
He noted that mushroom stands tall amongst other vegetables due to its high medicinal and nutritional content that can deal with micronutrient malnutrition, which is prevalent among the less privileged in the society.
“The global demand for mushrooms has continued to increase significantly according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report and the market for mushrooms is also huge and growing exponentially,” he said.
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Ayodele said if attention is given to mushroom cultivation, it can offer a lot of hope by contributing significantly to the country’s GDP.
“The mushroom sub-sector, along the value chain, if properly developed and managed, could provide 30 million skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled jobs for the teeming unemployed graduates, vulnerable youths and women,” he said.
The lecturer, therefore, called for regular conferences and workshops by mushroom scientists to sensitise the Nigerian public about the new trends in mushroom cultivation and its potential for food security.
Reacting, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, commended Ayodele for his erudition and research that will raise more awareness on the immense benefits and value of mushrooms to the economy.
