New opportunities for mushroom cultivation

Mushroom cultivation appeared in Bac Giang nearly two decades ago but due to lack of a long-term strategy, lack of specific planning, this occupation still exists in small scale and fragmented. Implementing the program of developing agricultural commodity production, Bac Giang has developed a project to develop mushroom production in the 2007-2010 period. With specific orientation and appropriate investment, the project is the driving force for mushroom cultivation to exist and develop.

Growing mushrooms: easy but difficult

In 1994-1995, in Dai Hoa commune (Tan Yen), the most active mushroom-growing villages in the province were formed at that time. The whole commune has 8/15 villages growing mushrooms with hundreds of households participating. How many straws and straws from fields are collected as raw materials for growing mushrooms. At the harvest, farmers spread large canvas sheets that spotted atrium from the yard to the roof. On Tet, mushrooms, dried mushrooms are packed into each big sack for consumption in Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Lang Son . As for oyster mushroom, fat mushroom, where to collect it is sold freshly there.

Compared to growing vegetables and cultivating rice, growing mushrooms has a higher income. However, only about 5 years of excitement, the number of mushroom farms in Dai Hoa was gradually destroyed. Now many former mushroom growers have switched to other jobs. Only two households in Bo Vang village still stick with mushrooms.

(Artwork: AnGiang) Mr. Than Duc Sang (Bo Vang village), a pioneer in mushroom growing in Tan Yen, said: Making mushrooms is not technically difficult, just apply the right process by specialized agencies instruction is possible. Raw materials for making mushrooms are available, not much labor. However, it is difficult in this profession to get rich to produce large-scale, find a stable consumption outlet, while not everyone can afford to do this. If production is on a small scale, profits are not worth it, so many people are discouraged. Like Dai Hoa, many other communes in Lang Giang, Yen Dung and Hiep Hoa . have received mushrooms but after a short time gave up.

Understanding that apricot growing is due to the lack of necessary conditions for stable and long-term development. Due to the lack of initiative in the source of mushroom, farmers often have to buy through intermediaries in other provinces so the price is expensive. Mushroom cultivation techniques have not been widely disseminated, making many households fail. The system of processing and preserving mushrooms has not been properly invested . Also because of these limitations, over the years, mushroom cultivation in the province is still spontaneous and fragmented.

To grow mushrooms grow

Determining that Bac Giang has favorable conditions to develop mushroom growing because of abundant labor and raw materials, expanding market, since 2005, Agriculture has prepared a long-term plan. growing mushroom cultivation. The investment in equipment for mushroom breeding facilities is promoted with a total capital of nearly 1 billion VND. Technical transfer, linkage models of mushroom production and purchasing were built for the purpose of market exploration and creating points for replication. In 2006, 6 communes in Yen Dung district were selected to build a model for growing mushrooms and straw mushrooms.

The results showed that a mushroom crop lasted for a month with an average income of 960 thousand VND / ton of raw materials, except for factory depreciation costs, lime, mushroom varieties, farmers collected 650 thousand VND profit. With fat mushroom, the time of one crop lasts more than 2 months, earning about 1, 4 million VND / ton of raw materials. Success in the pilot model at Yen Dung as well as other facilities has created a premise for 2007, the Provincial People's Committee implemented the Mushroom Production Development Project in the period of 2007-2010. The total budget is more than 43.7 billion VND, in which the provincial budget supports more than 6 billion VND, the rest is reciprocal capital of the people. This is the project with the largest scale, the largest support level ever for developing mushroom growing in the area.

Overcoming the small production situation, the project stated that the planning area for mushroom cultivation includes: Yen Dung, Lang Giang, Tan Yen, Viet Yen, Luc Nam districts, where there are many straw and other by-products from Agriculture. Funding support focused on large production models. Communes and farm owners who want to participate in the project must commit to organize the production of sufficient quantities of raw materials according to the scale of registration and pay the reciprocal money in full.

During the production process, engineers at Bac Giang Mushroom Seed Center (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) directly provide technical guidance to farmers from the processing of raw materials to harvest. The Center is also responsible for supplying seeds and supporting commercial mushroom consumption. Particularly in 2007, the provincial budget supported localities in the planning area 1, 35 billion VND to build 30 camps, 2 mushroom processing facilities and support mushroom varieties for more than 1,500 tons of raw materials.

Implementing this project, in the past time, Yen Dung district continued to replicate mushroom cultivation model to 11 communes. By the end of August, farmers in the district had planted two straw mushrooms with more than 300 tons of raw materials. In the last months of the year, the district concentrates on the production of fat mushroom with the expected material volume of 700-1,000 tons.

Mr. Hoang Van Dung, Tan Ninh village, Tu Mai commune (Yen Dung) said: ' My family has a large garden, lots of straw, a few years ago I had the intention of learning to grow mushrooms but thought the whole village only had me I don't know how to consume it, I just want to go to retail at the market. By 2006, the whole commune had 50 households growing mushrooms, consuming in a few places, so it was very convenient. Therefore, this year I built two mushroom farms, each making about 2 tons of raw materials. There were two successful mushrooms, so I was very assured . "

Unlike before, now farmers can easily buy quality guaranteed mushrooms right in the province. The model of linking 4 houses in mushroom production helps people to consume mushrooms more conveniently. Along with Yen Dung, other districts such as Lang Giang, Luc Nam, Hiep Hoa . also started to form large-scale mushroom production areas. With the support from the mushroom production development project in the period of 2007-2010, the innovation in the method of organization of mushroom production and cultivation is facing the development opportunities.