Fruits of their labour: Some from the Mendriq community showing off some of the mushroom they harvested. — Bernama
GUA MUSANG: Cultivating grey oyster mushrooms have not just given the Mendriq Orang Asli community in Kampung Kuala Lah a new source of income but also comes with a wealth of new knowledge, particularly in mushroom farming.
Johari Keladi, 48, said through the mushroom planting project – an initiative of the Economy Ministry’s hardcore poverty eradication programme – he has learnt the “dos and don’ts” and “ins and outs” of the business.
Under the programme, 10 participants from the village were selected to carry out a pioneer project to help them earn extra income.
“My friend Hassan Jusoh and I are in charge of making sure that the right amount of ingredients are used and that blocks must be steamed first before planting the mushrooms.
“It may seem easy to grow oyster mushroom, but there are some strenuous tasks that need to be done by the men, like mixing sawdust with limestone paste and rice bran,” he said.
Over the past two months, more than 300kg of grey oyster mushrooms had been cultivated by the participants.
Cedong Kapit, 61, said she and her fellow villagers no longer need to go to the forest to look for produce because their daily routine has shifted to tending two mushroom blocks.
“We started planting mushrooms on Aug 6 and harvested the first crop on Aug 28.
“We can harvest 10kg of mushrooms every day, or more than 300kg in a month. These mushrooms are sold for between RM10 and RM12per kg,” she said, Bernama reported.
Siti Adis, 40, hopes that government agencies would continue to help the Orang Asli community to generate additional income and elevate their economic status.
“I thank the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and the government agencies involved for providing me with the opportunity and support to raise my family’s standard of living,” she said.
