DA boosts mushroom industry with Silang enoki project

MANILA, Philppines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is backing Filipino-owned Basic Necessity Inc.’s investment to expand local enoki mushroom production and cut import dependence.

The DA said the company’s highly automated enoki facility in Silang, Cavite marks a first-of-its-kind project that supports the government’s push to develop domestic capacity for high-value crops.

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The facility will integrate controlled-environment cultivation, processing, packing, cold storage, and refrigerated distribution. It will supply supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, institutional buyers, and online grocery platforms.

The DA said the project will improve product freshness, strengthen food safety and traceability, and retain more value within the domestic economy.

Meanwhile, the project will directly employ about 50 workers and create additional livelihood opportunities for farmers who supply agricultural biomass and other raw materials.

In 2025, the country imported 6,536 metric tons of fresh mushrooms, relying almost 95% on imports in the commercial market.

For his part, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the domestic market boosts local enoki production for export markets.

“We have a large domestic market that still relies on imports. Once we meet local demand, we will explore opportunities to export to markets such as Singapore and the Middle East.” Tiu Laurel said.

Moreover, Agriculture Undersecretary Cheryl Marie Caballero said the project shows how import substitution can provide broader economic benefits beyond decreasing foreign reliance.

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“This is not just about producing mushrooms. It is about building a local industry that creates jobs, supports farmers supplying agricultural biomass and transforms materials that previously had little economic value into productive inputs,” Caballero said.

Likewise, Caballero said locally produced enoki now sells for P29.75 in about 1,700 DALI stores, down from P80 per 200-gram pack.

In addition, the facility will use agricultural by-products such as sawdust, rice bran, and sugarcane bagasse as growing substrates.

Caballero said farmers are using 5 metric tons of agro-waste weekly as mushroom substrates for extra income. This practice provides them with additional income streams. /pai