Mushroom farmers prepare for Tet

In the last days of the year, the working atmosphere at mushroom growers in Thanh Hoa is busier than ever. People are focusing on all stages of preparation to ensure the best quality mushroom crop, in time to meet the high consumption demand during the Lunar New Year.

Mushroom growing model of a farmer household in Hoang Quy commune (Hoang Hoa).

Mushroom growing in Thanh Hoa has developed in recent years, not only as a new direction, bringing stable income but also affirming its value in the rural economic structure. People have taken advantage of available raw materials such as straw, sawdust, bagasse to produce straw mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms, meeting the increasing demand of the market.

The family of Ms. Le Thi Lan, Hoang Quy commune (Hoang Hoa) has more than 5 years of experience growing mushrooms. During the Tet season, Ms. Lan often prepares thousands of mushroom spawn bags for production. She shared: “I have to carefully check each spawn bag, making sure they are incubated at the right temperature and humidity. If one spawn bag is defective, it can affect the entire crop. To help the mushrooms grow well, I use a closed greenhouse system, combined with ventilation fans and humidity measuring devices...”. Thanks to thorough investment, each Tet season, Ms. Lan's family earns more than 50 million VND from selling fresh mushrooms.

In Tho Vuc commune (Trieu Son), Mr. Nguyen Van Hung is also busy preparing for the Tet season with a 300m2 shiitake mushroom growing area. According to Mr. Hung, Tet is the time of year when mushrooms are consumed the most. His family has invested in an infrared heating system to maintain a stable temperature for mushrooms to grow during cold days. According to him, shiitake mushrooms have high economic value, usually ranging from 180,000 - 200,000 VND/kg during Tet. If well cared for, he can harvest nearly 500kg each month, bringing in a significant income.

The family of Mr. Ngo Van Chung, Dong Yen commune (Thanh Hoa city) is also busy completing the stages of producing white oyster mushrooms to serve the Tet market. Mr. Chung shared that to have standard bags of mushrooms, it is necessary to go through many careful stages. The main ingredient is sawdust mixed with 20 - 30kg of lime powder for each ton, then composted thoroughly to sterilize and create a suitable environment. In addition, nutrients including rice bran, corn bran and a little sugar must be added before packing into each bag of mushrooms. In the days before Tet, to keep up with the schedule, Mr. Chung hired two more local workers to support the stages from processing raw materials to harvesting. Thanks to careful preparation, his family expects to earn about 40 million VND from the Tet mushroom crop.

The mushroom market during Tet also becomes bustling at Vuon Hoa market (Thanh Hoa city). Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, owner of a stall specializing in providing clean food, said that the number of customers ordering mushrooms during Tet has doubled compared to normal days. Customers today pay great attention to product quality, especially mushrooms grown according to safety standards, without using toxic chemicals.

Currently, farmers in the province have accessed new knowledge about mushroom growing techniques, thereby helping to improve productivity and product quality. In particular, the application of high technology in production, such as automatic irrigation systems, temperature and humidity control, has helped mushrooms grow evenly, while minimizing dependence on weather factors. Not only focusing on production, mushroom growers also strive to find stable consumption markets. This not only increases the value of products but also helps build the Thanh Hoa mushroom brand that consumers trust. At fairs, agricultural exhibitions, during Tet... become great opportunities for Thanh Hoa mushroom products to reach more customers.

The mushroom consumption market is not only limited to the province but also expands to neighboring provinces and big cities. Clean mushroom products that meet VietGAP standards will become the priority choice of consumers, especially during important holidays such as Lunar New Year.

Article and photos: Chi Pham

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nong-dan-trong-nam-chuan-bi-cho-vu-tet-236224.htm