Claro Talaga: From politics to mushroom farming

LUCBAN, Quezon—When Claro Talaga, 65, decided to hang up his political gloves in 1998, he turned to farming, overseeing an 11-hectare property in Barangay (village) Nagsinamo in Lucban, Quezon, at the foot of Mount Banahaw.

“I want a serene life after spending long years in politics. … Farming brings me contentment and the peace that I’m now enjoying,” said Talaga, a three-term provincial board member and executive secretary of two Quezon lawmakers for several years.

Early this year, a friend, who maintains a mushroom farm in another Lucban village, visited Nagsinamo and introduced him to the health benefits and business potential of growing mushrooms.

“When he saw my farm and three abandoned structures, he [found]… an ideal place for mushroom culturing. He invited me to his own mushroom farm and offered me a delicious meatless mushroom soup,” Talaga said.

The encounter initiated him into the business, plus the fact that his doctor had advised him to avoid eating meat and strictly maintain a diet because of his frail health.

UP assistance

Talaga converted the three farm buildings that once housed a “nata de coco” factory into seven mushroom culturing rooms. Each room has an average of 700 fruiting bags of oyster and ganoderma varieties stacked in several racks.

To better understand his endeavor, he sought help from the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños in Laguna, which subsequently sent personnel to Lucban and conducted an on-site lecture to farm workers on the latest know-how on mushroom culturing.

Further researches introduced the former politician not only to the nutritious oyster mushroom but also to the healthful benefits of ganoderma mushroom, popularly known in Chinese alternative healing as the “miraculous king of herbs.”

“Ganoderma is good for the health. My doctor was amazed at how my lab results for creatinine (blood test that measures kidney function) dramatically improved after I started to mix dried mushroom in my coffee,” Talaga said.

Scientific researches claim that ganoderma strengthens the body’s immune system, heal respiratory ailments, normalizes blood pressure, reverses aging, restores mental sharpness, physical strength and energy.

Stream of buyers

The oyster variety is the most popular ingredient in a mushroom dish due to its soft and chewy texture. It is also touted as being free of cholesterol but high in content of protein, vitamins and minerals.

Talaga has a stream of regular buyers from Lucban and nearby towns, and even from Metro Manila. One of them, a Lucban restaurant operator with a branch in Lucena City, serves crispy mushroom, he said.

During harvest time, some villagers sell his mushrooms to devotees going to the “Kamay ni Hesus” religious shrine in a nearby village.

Although he has already retired from politics, Talaga still pursues his advocacy to help the poor through his latest farm venture.

He has tapped the Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) in Lucban, through its “gender partnership” program, to teach alternative sources of income to the women of Nagsinamo, including the wives of his workers. A food technologist from SLSU demonstrated to the women how to turn oyster mushrooms into burger patties, nuggets and chips.

Talaga is willing to share his farm, which he calls “Sentro ng mga Produktong Kabute Talaga,” with students and other entrepreneurs who want to learn mushroom culturing and its business potential.

“They can stay here in my farm and study. Sharing these ancient but healthful foods is like sharing love,” he said.

(Claro Talaga can be reached though his mobile phone 09178903561.)