Nigeria to earn $4.5bn yearly exporting mushroom

Nigeria is targeting to earn $4.53 billion annually from export of mushrooms to the international market.

This was disclosed Wednesday by the National President of the Mushroom Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Michael Awunor, at the inaugural summit of the association held in Abuja.

• 36 million people benefits from Community Social Devt Project — FG
• NYSC blocks 1,000 corps members from relocating

Awunor told the summit that the world mushroom market as of the end of 2020 stood at about $45.3bn and Nigeria is determined to earn 10 percent of it.

He said Nigerian economy is dominated by crude oil, which accounts for 10% of the country’s GDP, 70% of government revenue and more than 83% of the country’s export earnings, but mushrooms offer so much hope to contribute significantly to the country’s GDP and the economic diversification drive.

“It is estimated that the mushroom sub-sector along the value chain could provide 16 million skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled jobs to the teeming unemployed universities, polytechnics and colleges of education graduates, vulnerable youths and women,” he said.