Turning oyster mushrooms into OCOP products

Rural youth start-up

Mushroom growing requires both diligence from morning to night, experience and learning new techniques to achieve the desired high efficiency.

Anh Dao Thai Son temporarily put his university degree aside and returned to his hometown to grow mushrooms.

Having a passion for agricultural production, during his university studies, whenever he had time, Dao Thai Son (born in 2000, Hoang Dong village, Tan Minh commune, Tien Lang district, Hai Phong city) researched and studied the product consumption market. Realizing that in recent years, the demand for mushrooms in the market has been quite large, and the product output has been stable, so right after leaving school, Son temporarily put aside his bachelor's degree in Law and decided to return to his hometown to "make a living and start a career". Son boldly convinced his parents to invest and proactively applied technical advances to growing and caring for mushrooms.

Receiving support from his parents, in October 2022, Son established and became the Director of Huong Son Mushroom Cooperative, focusing on developing oyster mushrooms with a scale of 4 factories, total area of ^​​700m2 .

Sharing with the reporter of Rural Economy, Son said: “Starting mushroom production is not simple. Especially, with the weather conditions in the North, with cold winters and hot summers, oyster mushrooms do not grow well. To maintain humidity for mushroom growth, the temperature in the growing house must be 23-24 degrees Celsius, otherwise the mushrooms are very susceptible to rot and spoilage. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the stage of processing input materials. The materials need to be boiled to avoid mold and create nutrients. Luckily for me, with nearly 20 years of experience in growing straw mushrooms, my parents have helped me a lot with the techniques of growing and caring for mushrooms. The initial results I have achieved are largely thanks to my parents' support and assistance.”

In 2022, oyster mushroom products of Huong Son Cooperative will be recognized as 3-star OCOP.

Son believes that if the market wants to accept the product, the product brand must first be built. After that, Son brought oyster mushroom products to participate in the OCOP Program. With the guidance of specialized agencies on legal procedures, along with strict compliance with the production process, the oyster mushroom products of Huong Son Cooperative were certified as 3-star OCOP in 2022.

Son said that the process of developing oyster mushroom products to be recognized as OCOP products was a painstaking journey. However, when the product is recognized and has a brand, consumption is also more favorable, with many opportunities to expand the market.

“During the process of starting a business, I encountered many difficulties in terms of capital, knowledge, experience, etc. I was fortunate to be introduced by the Tien Lang District Youth Union to participate in training courses on the application of science and technology in agriculture. I participated and won second prize in the 2024 “Rural Youth Entrepreneurship” contest organized by the City Youth Union in coordination with the Hai Phong Young Entrepreneurs Association,” Son added.

Expanding production model

Sharing about effective mushroom growing techniques, Son said that mushrooms are very sensitive to bacteria, so before planting, it is necessary to properly treat bacteria. The mushroom growing process goes through the main stages including: Collecting straw, processing, and incubating the initial materials; implanting the embryo; transferring the embryo to the growing house.

Mushroom growing spawn packaging process.

“After 1 month of planting, the mushrooms start to be harvested. On average, the family harvests 50kg/day, selling for 40,000 - 60,000 VND/kg, depending on the time. The mushrooms are picked and supplied to the wholesaler, sometimes not enough to supply the market,” Son said excitedly.

Oyster mushrooms of Huong Son Cooperative are guaranteed to be clean, without any residual stimulants or chemical pesticides, ensuring food hygiene and safety. The main consumption markets are at traditional stores and markets in Hai Phong, Hanoi... Huong Son Cooperative creates jobs for 3 regular workers.

According to Son, thanks to the mushroom spawn packaging machine, mushroom spawn steamer, cold storage room for spawn preservation and mastering the production process, mushrooms are cared for properly so every season the family has products to sell to the market.

The straw has been treated, the composting process helps kill bacteria and ripen the straw.

To expand the scale, Son's family focused on building an additional 7ha production area (of which 10,000m2 ^is for growing mushrooms; the remaining area is for growing rice); growing and developing more types of mushrooms, Ganoderma, wood ear mushrooms... Expanding the consumption market, meeting consumer demand.

Mr. Nguyen Van Doan, Chairman of Tan Minh Commune People's Committee, said that the mushroom growing model of Mr. Dao Thai Son's family is one of the typical economic development models of the commune. Mushroom production not only brings economic benefits and creates jobs, but also makes use of agricultural waste and by-products, limiting the burning of straw, causing environmental pollution in the locality.

Source: https://kinhtenongthon.vn/Dua-nam-so-tro-thanh-san-pham-OCOP-post75211.html