Analysis of the Development Results and Existing Problems of the Edible Mushroom Industry

I. Development Status

Edible mushroom production is an emerging industry to which all countries in the world today attach great importance, and it is also an important industry in our country's agricultural economy and an advantageous project for farmers to become wealthy. Yongchang County has a vast territory, superior natural conditions, abundant labor resources, and outstanding regional planting advantages, and possesses unique conditions for developing off-season edible mushroom production. In 2002 it was listed by the county Party committee and county government as a characteristic industry for key development. After repeated investigation and demonstration by county leaders and business departments, in 2003 the county Party committee and county government officially launched and implemented edible mushroom production as a pillar industry for adjusting the agricultural structure and promoting farmers' income growth and prosperity.

In 2003, pilot cultivation of shiitake mushrooms and white lingzhi mushrooms was first carried out in Liukezhuang Village, Xinchengzi Town; Qizhuang Village, Nanba Township; and Beiquan Village, Jiaojiazhuang Township in our county, and 80 edible mushroom greenhouses were built that year, with more than 200,000 bags of shiitake mushrooms and white lingzhi mushrooms planted, producing more than 200 tons of edible mushrooms and an income of nearly 1 million yuan. Because the first year's trial planting was successful, edible mushroom cultivation, with its characteristics of low investment, quick results, a high output-to-input ratio, and significant economic benefits, was accepted by cadres at all levels and the broad masses of farmers. In 2004 the county listed edible mushroom production as a key industry for developing characteristic agriculture, high-efficiency agriculture, and foreign-exchange-earning agriculture, as well as for agricultural structural adjustment and farmers' income growth and prosperity, and developed it accordingly. In order to strengthen technical services, the county signed a technical service agreement with the Vegetable Research Institute of the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences assigned two edible mushroom experts to be stationed in our county year-round, setting up experimental demonstration sites to carry out experimental demonstrations and technical guidance. The county's edible mushroom production made a major breakthrough, with the planting range expanding to 5 townships and 22 villages, the number of planting households growing to 611, the planting volume of bag-cultivated mushroom types growing to 1.319 million bags, and that of flat-cultivated mushroom types growing to 40,980 sq m; the planted varieties expanded from shiitake mushrooms and white lingzhi mushrooms to nearly more than ten kinds, including button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, Agaricus blazei, oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, white lingzhi mushrooms, shaggy mane mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms.

After several years of development, the edible mushroom industry has become a new characteristic industry for increasing farmers' income and prosperity in the cold and cool areas of our county, and has achieved the following outstanding results:

First, the scale of industrial development has continued to grow. In 2007, the number of edible mushroom growers in the county grew to 4,006 households, the planting quantity reached 886,000 bags and 557,300 sq m, and the total output of mushroom types reached 6.45 million kg; among these, button mushroom growers numbered 3,708 households, with 557,300 sq m and a total output of 5.57 million kg; shiitake mushroom growers numbered 238 households, with 706,000 bags planted and a total output of 700,000 kg; oyster mushroom growers numbered 60 households, with 180,000 bags planted and a total output of 180,000 kg. In 2008, relevant departments at all levels carefully organized and arranged, carried out extensive publicity and mobilization, strengthened work measures, and made efforts to advance the development of the edible mushroom industry, and the number of greenhouses built will have a relatively large breakthrough on the basis of previous years.

Second, mushroom bases have begun to take shape. Relevant townships, in accordance with the unified deployment of the county Party committee and county government, adhered to the goals of industrialized development, large-scale development, and standardized production, and vigorously cultivated edible mushroom production bases. Up to now, button mushroom production bases have initially formed, mainly in villages such as Shantou, Jiahe, Shaojiazhuang, Liukezhuang, Beiquan, Louzhuangzi, Jiaojiazhuang, Shagoucha, and Jinchuanxi, and shiitake mushroom production bases have mainly formed in villages such as Mayinggou, Xiwan, Zhaotian, Shuimoguan, and Louzhuangzi. Although our county started edible mushroom cultivation late and on a small scale, its characteristics are very obvious, and it has become one of the largest counties in the country for off-season mushroom production. At the same time, after experiments in recent years, white lingzhi mushrooms, black fungus, enoki mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, Agaricus blazei, and other mushroom types have also been successfully trial-planted in our county, laying a good foundation for the industrialized development of edible mushrooms in our county.

Third, planting benefits have increased markedly. According to surveys, for the button mushrooms planted in our county in 2007, the average output per sq m has reached more than 10 kg; the purchase price of button mushrooms reached as high as 7.6 yuan/kg and as low as 5.0 yuan/kg. Calculated at an average price of 6.0 yuan/kg, the income per sq m reached 60 yuan; after deducting the cost of 10 yuan/sq m, the net income has reached 50 yuan. For a 60 m long mushroom greenhouse, with a net cultivation area of about 250 sq m, the net income per greenhouse reaches 12,500 yuan, nearly 20 times the income from planting malting barley. According to a survey of shiitake mushroom growers, a 30 m long mushroom greenhouse can hold 3,000 shiitake mushroom bags per greenhouse, with an average output of 1 kg per bag, an average price of 7.5 yuan per kg, and an income of 7.5 yuan per bag; after deducting the bag material cost of 2.8 yuan/bag, the net income is 4.7 yuan per bag, and the net income per greenhouse is 14,100 yuan, 20-30 times the income from planting @#@245@#@. Edible mushroom cultivation not only has obvious economic benefits, but also effectively transfers rural surplus labor. At the same time, edible mushroom cultivation can make full use of crop residues, obtain materials locally, and produce locally, improving the utilization rate of crop straw and livestock manure, and turning waste that affects the appearance of villages into valuable resources for increasing farmers' income and prosperity.

Fourth, technical service work has received a high degree of attention. As an emerging industry, the key to success or failure is technology. In order to strengthen technical services, the county renewed its technical service agreement with the Vegetable Research Institute of the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Technical personnel from the expert group of the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences were stationed in villages year-round to set up demonstration sites, and experimented with and demonstrated new edible mushroom varieties, new cultivation techniques, new cultivation material formulas, simple cultivation facilities, and other technologies, and achieved success, laying the foundation for the next step of demonstration and promotion and truly giving play to the typical model-driven role of the demonstration sites. In order to enable the broad masses of farmers to grasp edible mushroom cultivation techniques in a timely and comprehensive manner, in all links of edible mushroom production, technical personnel from the expert group of the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences and county and township agricultural technicians were organized to go separately to relevant townships, villages, and communities to carry out targeted special training. At the same time, each township also organized farmers to visit and study in places where edible mushrooms were planted earlier. Through training, visits and study, and other various forms, farmers initially grasped edible mushroom cultivation techniques, laying the foundation for the development of the edible mushroom industry.

Fifth, the market system has become increasingly complete. The development of the edible mushroom industry must take leading enterprises and intermediary organizations as the carrier, link the broad masses of dispersed producers with the market, form an industrial chain, and drive the development of the industry. In 2007, Chunya Food Company and Jingu Mushroom Industry were successively completed and put into production, and played a certain role in that year's edible mushroom purchasing. Each township also actively contacted out-of-town merchants to come to our county to purchase products. The edible mushrooms produced in our county have been eagerly purchased by merchants from Fujian, Sichuan, Beijing, as well as Zhangye, Jinchang, Wuwei, and other places, and the products are in short supply. Along with the continuous expansion of industrial bases, a group of farmer brokers engaged in edible mushroom purchasing and transportation has also emerged, playing an important role in the development of the county's edible mushroom industry.