Opening a new chapter in the development of the edible mushroom industry under the new normal

The 2014 Central Economic Work Conference proposed that China's economy is evolving toward a stage with a more advanced form, more complex division of labor, and a more reasonable structure, and that economic development has entered a new normal, requiring all industries to understand the new normal, adapt to the new normal, and lead the new normal. How China's edible mushroom industry can adapt to the new normal of economic development and achieve healthy development has attracted widespread attention from people in the industry.

In the past year of 2014, the development of China's edible mushroom industry still maintained a generally good momentum overall, but affected by rising costs and declining profits, the comparative benefit of the industry dropped significantly, leading to a decline in farmers' enthusiasm for production; the level of mechanization and facility-based production of edible mushrooms gradually improved, and traditional farmers and small enterprises lost their advantages and faced transformation; traditional cultivated varieties such as shiitake mushrooms gradually became a trend in transforming toward centralized bag-making, decentralized fruiting, and factory-based and intensive models; the shortage of raw materials and bottlenecks in the research and development of substitutes urgently needed to be solved. Various signs indicated that China's edible mushroom industry had changed from the previous explosive high-speed growth to steady growth, entering a "new normal" of industrial adjustment.

Since the reform and opening up, especially after 2000, China's edible mushroom industry has developed rapidly and entered a golden period. The edible mushroom industry has played an important role in increasing farmers' income and promoting the construction of a new countryside. However, in recent years, as the overall development of China's economic situation has slowed, affected by factors such as rising raw material and labor costs, overcapacity, and a weak market, the development of the industry has experienced periodic deceleration. According to relevant statistics, in 2013 China's annual output of edible mushrooms was 31.6968 million tons, with an output value of 201.79 billion yuan, and output and output value increased by 7.35% and 7.68% respectively compared with the previous year, with the growth rate adapting to the national annual GDP economic growth rate. The industry's development shifting from high-speed to medium-to-high-speed growth is an important feature consistent with the new normal of China's economic development.

In 2014, the off-season for domestic edible mushroom market consumption was prolonged, and some production enterprises faced pressures such as rising costs, a sluggish market, and poor channels, which seriously hurt the enthusiasm of practitioners. The reasons include, on the one hand, that the growth rate of production capacity was higher than consumer demand, while the weak market caused by a single channel and incomplete opening of terminal consumption was also difficult to ignore. Under the new normal of the economy, relevant departments and enterprises should open up sales channels in second- and third-tier cities, increase efforts to promote mushroom culture, guide national consumption, make edible mushrooms truly become delicacies on ordinary families' dining tables, and enable the market to play a more important role in promoting industrial development.

In the past year, although China's edible mushroom industry made considerable progress in scientific and technological innovation, cross-sector integration, resource recycling, and base construction, the industry also faced practical problems such as backward technological research and development and a shortage of talent. Some main edible mushroom production areas even faced the awkward situation of mushroom-growing land decreasing year by year and no one growing mushrooms, which was extremely unfavorable to the development of the industry. Under the new normal of the economy, economic growth will rely more on the quality of human capital and technological progress, and innovation must become a new engine driving the development of the edible mushroom industry. The edible mushroom industry should enhance its capacity for scientific and technological innovation, accelerate technological progress, strengthen the enthusiasm of edible mushroom enterprises for technological innovation and product research and development, and lay a solid material and technological foundation for establishing the competitive advantages of the edible mushroom industry.

Under the current new normal of the economy, the edible mushroom industry faces the problem of industrial structure adjustment, requiring us to actively explore new development models and paths. First, with the help of the Internet's interconnected platform, innovate Industrial 4.0 production methods and raise the level of intelligent production in the edible mushroom industry; second, work hard on the deep processing of edible mushrooms and the development of health care products, extend the industrial chain, and increase the added value of products; third, develop e-commerce and WeChat business platforms well and expand modern marketing channels; fourth, carefully study the ecological environment of China's edible mushroom industry under the new normal and identify its characteristics, traits, and patterned issues; fifth, use the "Belt and Road" economic corridor to organize edible mushroom product and mushroom supply material and equipment enterprises to go abroad and integrate into the tide of the world economy.

The strong pass is truly like iron, yet now we stride forward from the beginning. For many years, the edible mushroom industry has traveled a glorious journey and is now looking forward to a new leap. Under the new normal, we must have both the perseverance to press on unremittingly and the courage to ride the waves forward, as well as the wisdom to explore the path in deep waters and the composure to remain calm; we should actively understand the new normal, adapt to the new normal, and lead the new normal, fully leverage the roles of the government and the market, make innovation the booster leading industrial transformation and upgrading, and ultimately achieve the healthy and sustainable development of the edible mushroom industry.