Guiding New Entrepreneurs, Ministry of Industry Wants to Grow Oyster Mushroom Processing IKM

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) is trying to grow small and medium industrial players (IKM) who utilize the potential of natural resources, including oyster mushrooms, which have potential in Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra.

This effort was carried out through Technical Guidance for New Entrepreneurs for Oyster Mushroom Processed Food IKM in the Telang Transmigration Area, Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra, on October 24-28, 2023, which was attended by 30 participants.

"We continue to strive to encourage the growth of SMEs who are able to process and utilize the potential of our natural resources to make products that are competitive and have high selling value," said Director General of Small, Medium and Miscellaneous Industries (IKMA) of the Ministry of Industry Reni Yanita in a press release received by VOI, quoted Monday, October 30.

Reni said that this effort had proven capable of making a significant contribution to the regional and national economy.

She said that many SMEs in the regions have great potential to develop superior commodities in their respective regions so that they become products that have more added value.

"SMIs that are competitive are those that can survive competition in the market. So, IKMs must be able to produce products that meet market desires by utilizing local resources," said Reni.

Oyster mushrooms are a source of vegetable protein which can also be used as a meat substitute. Apart from that, cultivating oyster mushrooms is also relatively easy and can grow quickly in a relatively small space, making it an ideal choice for various business scales, from home to industrial.

In an effort to increase the added value of oyster mushrooms, what needs to be done includes diversifying post-harvest product processing. Post-harvest processing of oyster mushrooms aims to extend shelf life and can be done through preservation technology and processing technology.

"That way, oyster mushrooms can later be processed into various products, such as culinary (ready-to-eat food), snacks (mushroom chips), flavorings, and even oyster mushroom flour, which in processing must still pay attention to food safety standards," said Reni.

Furthermore, Reni hopes that the implementation of technical guidance for processed oyster mushroom production can create a variety of oyster mushroom derivative products so that SMEs are able to increase the added value of their products, and can market their products to meet market needs in Banyuasin Regency, even in South Sumatra Province.

"It is hoped that the growth of entrepreneurs in the oyster mushroom-based food processing sector in the Telang Transmigration Area will open up business opportunities and create jobs for the community," she said.

Meanwhile, Director of IKM Food, Furniture and Building Materials, Directorate General of IKMA, Ministry of Industry, Yedi Sabaryadi, added that apart from technical production guidance material, participants also received material related to entrepreneurship, such as business management, capital and access to financing, business legality, marketing, and product distribution permits.

"Hopefully the oyster mushroom products produced by new entrepreneurs will be able to meet market tastes and be competitive," he added.

For your information, in this activity there was also a symbolic handover of machine equipment assistance from the Directorate General of IKMA to the IKM group, totaling 27 types of machine equipment for processed food production.