Mushroom growers face difficulty

INCREASING INPUT EXPENSE

According to renowned mushroom farmers, the input of mushroom growing has risen by more than 20%. Sawdust and laborer are the most risen inputs from 40 to 50%. Growing moodear mushroom from rubber sawdust is the best material for high productivity. However, in recent time, the price of rubber latex is high, which discourages rubber growers to fell old rubber trees for new ones. Then, as the materials for mushroom is therefore restricted, sellers have tried to mix other sawdusts for sale. The mixed sawdusts can lower the yield of mushroom by around 1/3.

Mr.Vu Xuan Kiem residing at quarter 8, residential block 1, Gia Ray town (Xuan Loc district), shared: “The price of rubber sawdust is around 180 thousand dongs/m³ earlier this year and now it is 390-400 thousand dongs/m³. However, it is mixed with others and this makes mushroom yield stay low. With the current price, if growers find good seeds, they just have a little profit or recoup their expenses. For those who have to hang bags to grow mushrooms, they have to suffer loss for sure”.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lan, residing at village 6, Song Trau commune, Trang Bom district, expressed: “earlier this year, I bought primordial mushrooms at the price of 2 thousand dongs/bag but due to high price of sawdust, each bag of primordial mushrooms has risen by 1,500 dongs. Moreover, mushroom yield has decreased by a half, which makes me lose nearly 400 thousand dongs/1000 bags.”

HOPE AT YEAR-END PERIOD!

In addition to the lower price of 57-60 thousand dongs/kg, markets for mushroom are also narrowed. There are many farmers accepting loss to buy mushrooms but they failed to do that. Therefore, most of growers look forward to the end of this year when demands for mushroom can be improved and markets for mushrooms become more convenient. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Xoan, residing at Song Trau commune (Trang Bom district) said: “My family owns 7 farms of moodear mushroom with the yield of 300 kgs each crop. But low-quality sawdust and lots of rain has made mushroom yield decrease around 200 kgs/farm and low-quality mushrooms add more losses with an amount of 3-4 million dongs/farm. Though I have grown moodear mushrooms for many years, this is the first time I have to suffer a big loss as such. I and others hope that the price of moodear mushrooms may rise and find better markets at the end of the year”.

Not only do moodear mushroom suffer a decrease in price, but king oyster and straw mushrooms get stuck in the same situation. The reason for low price of mushrooms is that consuming market is currently narrow. King oyster and straw mushrooms are mainly consumed at local areas and in Ho Chi Minh city. Since 60 per cent of moodear mushrooms is sold to China at a small amount, then this market’s slowdown can lower price and cause product abundance. As a routine, demand for moodear mushroom in China and Southern areas is rising and the price is supposed to be going up. However, growers and traders are not sure of whether the price will rise in this year’s Tet holidays.

The situation is not exclusively happening in Dong Nai. The fact is that this is the reality for mushroom growers nationwide when they just concentrate on elevating the productivity but look down on expanding markets abroad. Therefore, when Chinese market reduces its purchasing demands, local moodear mushrooms will face low price and adundance.

Reported by Dong Nai Newspaper, Translated by Minh Minh