2025/06/08 by Oladoja, S. A., Abesin, A. O., Olatunde, O. J. A. +2
#Assessment #Consumption #Factors #Mushroom #Production
paper · doi:10.82552/njhs.v29i1.102-109
Mushrooms have long been used as a valuable food source and as traditional medicines around the world, especially in Japan, India and China including Nigeria. This study was conducted to determine the factors that affect mushroom production and consumption in Ibadan metropolis. The study investigated the process and infrastructural materials to produce mushrooms and examined the structure, conduct, performance and preference for mushroom consumption in the study area. The study utilized descriptive statistics to analyze the production and consumption patterns of the respondents’ using measures of central tendency such as frequency and percentages. The study also made use of 86 questionnaires administered to mushroom producers and consumers. The result shows that the majority (94%) of the respondents made use of drums as a means of sterilizing their substrate in other to free substrate from living organisms. It revealed that the majority (77.8%) of the respondents used drying as a means of preserving their mushrooms. The result also shows that 23.6% of respondents had insufficient labour. It also indicated that a substantial (47.9%) of respondents want market awareness to be given attention to promoting consumption, and 31.3% want the provision of capital and other incentives to enhance production in large quantities. The result also affirmed that the majority (66%) of respondents bought mushrooms occasionally due to lack of availability. The result also indicated that 50% of respondents wished to pay two hundred naira per package, while the majority (70%) of respondents concurred that mushrooms are highly competitive at their places of purchase. The study concluded that mushroom production is a profitable business that is viable in the study areas. However, the lack of processing and preservative materials for value chain addition hinders the effective utilization of benefits derived from its production. It is therefore suggested that NIHORT and other sister institutions should develop mushroom preservative equipment and make it available to the farmers at an affordable rate to increase the number of growers for optimum production.