With the continuous movement and innovation of new products in the market, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) aims to continuously provide skills training to CARPrenuers in order to cope with the innovation in the market. As a result, a skills training on dried and powdered mushroom processing was held last 2 – 3 June 2022 in Niogan, Pililla, Rizal, to make use of the CARPrenuers‘ raw materials and equipment.

The participants of the training are the members of Niogan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (NARBSMPC) of Pililla, Rizal, and the members of Mahabang Parang CLOA Holders and Farmers Association Inc. (MPACFAI) of Angono, Rizal. Both CARPreneurs have an income generation project in oyster mushroom production and processing. NARBSMPC is currently processing mushroom chicharon and polvoron, while MPACFHAI is currently processing pickled mushrooms.

The conducted training was held with the help of Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Rizal, DOST Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Rizal. This skills training equipped them with new way of processing fresh mushroom and gave them new products ideas made of mushrooms. In the end of the training, they were able to produced powder mushroom for flavoring in cooking and it can also be an alternative to coffee. ♦

Date of Release: 12 July 2022