KUALA NERANG, March 31 — Eight years ago, a rubber tapper from Kampung Musa here decided to farm the Volvariella mushroom, also known as straw mushroom or palm mushroom, to generate extra income due to the uncertainties in rubber prices.

Ismail Ibrahim, 67, said he could earn up to RM3,000 monthly selling mushrooms compared to about RM1,500 tapping rubber.

"I started cultivating mushrooms in 2016 in my rubber plantation to generate extra income due to the uncertainties in rubber prices at that time.

"What I like about this crop is it can be harvested in less than a month,” he told Bernama recently.

Ismail, named the first runner-up in the Agricultural Technology Innovation Award (Farmer’s category) last year, said he ventured into mushroom farming after being introduced to the crop by the Padang Terap District Agriculture Department in 2015 as an alternative crop to generate income.

Cultivating the mushrooms under six tents covering an area of about 464.5 metres, Ismail said his plot could produce at least 180kg of Volvariella mushrooms per cultivation cycle, which lasts three to four months.

He said he only invested around RM2,000 into the venture, using oil palm bunches as mushroom beds before switching to canvas-lined shelves in 2019, the same year he stopped tapping rubber.

"... due to the encouraging yields, I am planning to expand the cultivation area further to increase production in each season,” he said.

Ismail also organises Volvariella mushroom cultivation training to encourage the public, especially rubber tappers, to try new ventures to generate additional income.

He said the demand for mushrooms is growing among the people in Kuala Nerang, with a steady stream of regular customers coming to his house to purchase them, which is suitable for mushroom fritters, soup or coconut gravy.

Ismail has also added mushroom floss as a new product for his customers. — Bernama