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The Department of Agriculture is supporting the expansion of local enoki mushroom production as part of its import-substitution strategy, with a privately funded automated facility in Silang, Cavite
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The Philippines imported 6,536 metric tons of fresh mushrooms in 2025, with the formal commercial mushroom market nearly 95% import-dependent
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Agriculture officials also see local enoki production as an opportunity to strengthen food security, and eventually develop an export market
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Agriculture chief Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said local production could eventually supply markets such as Singapore and the Middle East
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The Silang facility integrates cultivation, processing, packing, cold storage, and refrigerated distribution
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is supporting the expansion of local enoki mushroom production as part of its import-substitution strategy, with a privately funded automated facility in Silang, Cavite that may also eventually open export opportunities.
The facility, operated by Filipino-owned Basic Necessity Inc., integrates controlled-environment cultivation, processing, packing, cold storage, and refrigerated distribution for supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, institutional buyers, and online grocery platforms, according to a DA statement.
The Philippines imported 6,536 metric tons of fresh mushrooms in 2025, while imports account for nearly 95% of the formal commercial mushroom market, according to the DA.
The high import dependence presents an opportunity for local producers to capture a larger share of the growing domestic market, driven partly by the popularity of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and hotpot cuisines.
Agriculture undersecretary for high-value crops Cheryl Marie Caballero said the project demonstrates that import substitution can generate broader economic benefits beyond reducing reliance on foreign supply.
“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.
The facility uses agricultural by-products, including sawdust, rice bran, sugarcane bagasse, corn cobs, and rice hulls, as growing substrates. The project uses an estimated five tons of corn cobs and rice hulls a week, providing an additional market for agricultural waste and potential income for farmers.
Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the size of the domestic market provides sufficient justification for expanding local production, noting that the country imports more than 6,000 metric tons of enoki mushrooms annually.
Export possibility
Once domestic demand is adequately supplied, he said, local producers could target overseas markets.
“We have a large domestic market that is still supplied by imports. Once local demand is met, we see opportunities to export to markets such as Singapore and the Middle East,” Tiu Laurel said.
“The Philippines has the land, the capability, and the growing expertise to build a competitive enoki mushroom industry,” he added.
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The Silang facility is designed to support the full production and distribution chain, from controlled-environment cultivation to processing, packaging, cold storage, and refrigerated delivery.
Enoki mushrooms are commonly used in Japanese and Korean cuisine and are known for their long, slender stems and small caps. They are a source of fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants.
The DA said local production can improve product freshness, food safety, and traceability while retaining more economic value within the country through domestic cultivation, processing, and logistics.
The project is expected to directly employ about 50 workers, with additional livelihood opportunities for farmers supplying agricultural biomass and other raw materials.
Caballero said local production is also helping make enoki mushrooms more affordable. Locally produced enoki, previously sold for about P80 per 200-gram pack, is now available for P29.75 at about 1,700 DALI stores nationwide.
The DA said the project shows how private investment can transform an import-dependent food into a domestic industry, supporting food security, creating jobs, generating value from agricultural by-products, and developing export markets.
