KUALA KRAI: A former bank officer’s venture into oyster mushroom cultivation during the movement control order in March last year has brought him lucrative returns.

       Mahadi Mohd Jusoh, 51, said he decided to resign in 2016 to take care of his mother Zaharah Ahmad, 70, who fell ill after his father Mohd Jusoh Mat, 81, died in the same year.

       The father of four then opened a sundry shop near his house in Kampung Baru Pahi, here, to generate income and look after his mother at the same time.

       “The sale was very encouraging initially but when the MCO was implemented last year my business started to slow down, forcing me to think of other ways for my family’s survival,” he said when met at his mushroom shed in Kampung Baru Pahi recently.

       He said that after a friend suggested that he cultivate oyster mushrooms, he bought about 100 ready-to-fruit blocks of mushroom spawns which came with racks for the blocks, with a capital of RM2,000.

       “Thank God, my first attempt bore fruit when I harvested 30kg of oyster mushrooms which I gave away to neighbours for free.

       “From there, I increased the number of fruiting blocks from time to time until I had 5,000 blocks and I plan to add another 5,000 blocks before the end of the year,” he said.

       Mahadi said the market demand for mushroom was also increasing.

       This is due to the various products made with mushrooms such as chips, mushroom popiah and fried mushrooms.

       “Each block can produce about 350g and I can collect around 10kg almost every day, which I sell to middlemen at the nearest market at RM10 per kg,” he said. — Bernama