Uganda Investment Authority in partnership with Uganda industrial Research Institute is implementing a Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMEs) technical skills training program in different parts of the country in a variety of sectors.
Towards the end of October, a one week value addition skills training in mushroom was conducted in Mpigi district with the majority of participants being mushroom growers dominating the oyster mushroom production sub sector. Forty one (41) participants from Mpigi town council, Mawokota, Nabusanke and the surrounding areas attended the training whose objective was to equip them with the basic knowledge and skills in mushroom value addition techniques.
The training focused on the use of basic and appropriate processing technologies to produce various high quality mushroom products which could be competitive on the market. The products included oyster mushroom powder, porridge, soup and paste. There has been a lot of growing mushrooms and little or no value addition on the mushrooms produced in Uganda due to lack of skills and access to the required techniques. The training provided the participants the opportunity to improve their house hold incomes and livelihood. Value addition on agro products promotes industrialization and sustainable food production, hence eradication of poverty in the long run.
The MSMEs Technical Skills Training program is aimed at building capacities of MSMEs so that they may acquire the necessary basic skills to produce improved and high quality products that fetch high monetary values thus improving house hold incomes and promoting industrialization. The programme continues to train MSMEs countrywide and in various sub sectors.
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