Humpata – Mushroom production in the commune of Palanca, municipality of Humpata, Province of Huíla, supported by the NGO Rural Development and Environment Action (ADRA), has been paralyzed since January, due to difficulties in acquiring seed.
As part of the Ehole project, production has been financed by the European Union (EU) since 2022, which began a program to promote a large-scale beekeeping and mushroom production in the municipalities of Chibia, Humpata and Gambos.
The same project involves 5,381 people, whose action is budgeted at €1,332,850, 90% of which is financed by the EU, through the Camões Institute, within the scope of the program to strengthen the resilience of food and nutritional security in Angola (FRESAN), whose executor is ADRA, which assumes 10% of the amount.
The objective is to strengthen the economic and nutritional capacity of families and implementation is being monitored by the Higher Institute of Education Sciences (ISCED), Tundavala (ISPT), both in Huíla and the faculty of agricultural sciences in Huambo.
Speaking to ANGOP, the coordinator of the Ehole project, Anivaldo Pena, highlighted that in 2022 and 2023 the first trials were carried out, harvesting more than 20 kg of fresh mushrooms produced outside the rainy season, but this year producers are finding difficulties in acquiring seeds.
He highlighted that as it is a product imported from Spain, Portugal, South Africa and Namibia, despite there being companies that sell it locally, there is a protocol that poses some difficulties, as it is a biological material.
“To overcome the situation, we are working with our partner, the faculty of agricultural sciences in Huambo, who brought this mushroom production technology outside of the rainy season, in order to be able to have this seed and resume production within the communities”, he highlighted.
He mentioned that mushroom production in the Palanca commune, in Humpata, is carried out by a community made up of 60 producers.
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