The Harvest Money Expo at Namboole Stadium has filled many with hopes of a future in agriculture. President Yoweri Museveni has made a clear call for Ugandans to embrace farming, and experts at the expo are demonstrating to expo-goers how to alleviate poverty.
The event is sponsored by aBi, Tunga Nutrition, Uganda Development Corporation, Kingdom of Netherlands, Pepsi, Bella Wine, and Engsol. There are many farmers dealing in different crops at the expo, and they all sing praises of their crops and animals.
Abel Kiddu, the managing director of African Mushroom Growers (U) Ltd, urged expo-goers to venture into mushroom growing, saying it makes business sense because of its quick rate of returns. In keeping with the expo theme, Farming as a business: value addition and cooperatives, Kiddu said mushroom farmers cannot earn a lot if they grow mushrooms on a small scale.
“If you have other women or people growing mushrooms in your area, you should come together and sell them as a group,” he said, inferring that they form cooperatives, which will give them better bargaining power.
He also told them mushrooms are not respecters of seasons as they grow all year round.
“This means you can earn money nonstop, unlike seasonal crops,” he said. For those looking for a daily income-generating activity (DIGA), Kiddu said mushroom growing is right on the mark.
“You are assured of daily harvest. You don’t have to wait for seasons. As you grow seasonal crops, mushrooms keep you going,” he said, asking expo visitors to incorporate mushroom farming alongside other projects. And there is more; mushrooms are a high-value crop, which Kiddu said can fetch sh10000 to sh12000.
“When will a kilo of maize or beans fetch that much? I am not saying that you should not grow maize, but I am telling you the numbers,” Kiddu told an excited audience whose minds probably started considering the prospect of growing mushrooms.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Mushroom growing makes business sense because of its quick rate of returns. (Credit: Eddie Ssejjoba)
