Content
The companies involved in this business can be counted on one hand. Having visited and participated in the process of mushroom production, we tried to find the answer, what difficulties await those who decided to set foot on this path. And most importantly, if this is an "unplowed field" for business, can you take advantage of the situation and start your own business?
Mushrooms must be grown exclusively in a greenhouse.
Mushroom kitchen
IP "Grigoriev" has been working on the market in Orenburg for many years, now the stage of registration of its own trademark "Mushroom Kitchen" is underway. The idea to start growing oyster mushrooms came in 1997 to the candidate of agricultural sciences Valery Grigoriev. A teacher at the Agricultural University, having studied the available methods, created his own technology for the industrial production of oyster mushrooms. The production he organized has turned into a well-oiled mechanism, where not only oyster mushrooms are grown, but also processed. The company has become a family business, which is continued by the children of the founder.
- My father was fired up by this idea because in the Orenburg region there was no industrial cultivation of oyster mushrooms at all, - says Angelica Slotova, daughter of the founder of a mushroom company.
At first glance, it seems that growing oyster mushrooms is very easy. Basement type with lots of light, very humid. The racks (in the language of mushroom pickers, they are called blocks) are filled with packages with blackish-whitish contents, from which mushrooms hang in clusters. But, as it turned out, I saw only the end result of the painstaking and daily work of mushroom masters.
- The production of oyster mushrooms is very complex and requires constant monitoring, so the company works around the clock. The microclimate must always be maintained, so all equipment works constantly. Any technological error entails great losses.
Growing oyster mushrooms is a common business of the Grigoriev family.
- I went through all the stages from a boiler operator to a technologist. The father gave us the basis and experience. The production is very energy-intensive, from the moment of sowing the mycelium to the collection of oyster mushrooms, at least thirty days pass. The substrate block must be monitored daily. Plus, fungi have a lot of competitive microorganisms, which lead to the fact that the mycelium stops developing. As a result, instead of mushrooms, you can get a completely different result, or simply everything will disappear, - explains Sergey Grigoriev.
- When we grew our first hundred kilograms of oyster mushrooms, we did not know what to do with them, how to sell them, because the people reacted like this: "What is it?" I even had to give it away for free. Although, for example, in China and Korea, the production and consumption of oyster mushrooms is in the first place. Our people don't have enough information. There is also a stereotype, people prefer champignons, although the price is practically the same. They look like classic mushrooms, and this is what attracts. Oyster mushrooms are much healthier than champignons, in Europe and large cities of Russia they are one and a half times more expensive than champignons, - continues Angelica.
A holy place is never empty, so it happened with the mushroom market, which is empty in our region.
- Fifteen years ago, when we just started production of oyster mushrooms, the price per kilogram was twenty-five rubles. For comparison, a kilogram of meat cost seven rubles. Now the situation is different, beef costs about three hundred rubles per kilogram, and oyster mushroom eighty-five rubles. The reason is the large number of mushrooms on the market, the bulk of which are supplied from Poland. There, the cost of growing mushrooms is much lower.Plus, there are also low customs duties. All this does not allow domestic producers to develop. As a result, it turns out that now the production of oyster mushrooms has become unprofitable, with the exception of a few months a year - this is December, February, March and April. The market in the city is now filled with mushrooms so much that it makes no sense to develop this business. If more producers appear or we increase the volume, then the mushrooms will have to be sold very cheaply and nothing will be earned. Moreover, in the region there is a demand for mushrooms only in large cities - Buzuluk, Orsk, Novotroitsk, Sorochinsk. In villages and regional centers, there is practically no need for fresh mushrooms, people mainly pick forest mushrooms, says Sergey.
- So it is futile to start a mushroom business?
- It doesn't make sense at the moment.
- If champignons are in demand, then why not deal with them?
- They can also be produced, but if only for the needs of your own family, and for large volumes, huge investments are needed, the work of serious equipment is needed and the implementation should go to the region, and not only to the city. The production of champignons in Russia can now be counted on one hand.
According to Sergei, the lack of good specialists who know the technology of growing mushrooms is also a problem for growing oyster mushrooms.
- To put it bluntly, we would not recommend doing such a business.
- So you have no competitors?
- They are represented by small producers who grow the same thirty kilograms at home, without certification. Then they have problems with sales, and they bring them to the market, where they give them very cheaply. Plus, forest mushrooms compete, especially in autumn.
Oyster mushrooms
- Can you grow it for your own consumption at home?
- Mushrooms secrete spores that are allergenic, cause fever and cough. This is especially not recommended for people with lung disease. It is necessary to grow it exclusively in a greenhouse, in no case in an apartment, since it is necessary to create increased humidity for mushrooms. As a result, in addition to harm to health, you will cause damage to the house, the walls of which will be covered with mold.
- From whom do you get help in business development?
- For all the time that we have been working, no one was interested in us how we exist. Plus, I can add an interesting point to the same question: mushrooms belong to the group of vegetables, for which the VAT rate is ten percent, and for mushrooms, eighteen percent. With what this is connected, no one can explain to us.
Society of mushroom growers
Competitors of "Mushroom Kitchen" have recently been the association of individual entrepreneurs "Mushroom Community". Its founder is Yuri Ryabov. Yuri Petrovich has the opposite view.
- The mushroom business is not even half mastered. The advantages are in profitability and, most importantly, in the absence of a lot of competition. Moreover, there has always been a shortage of oyster mushrooms on the market. If in Orenburg they are still present, then in neighboring cities - Samara, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk - very few. From there, orders come in large volumes.
The company specializes not only in the cultivation of oyster mushrooms, but also educates those who wish.
- If a person wants to grow mushrooms, he will deal with them. Better he will come to us, and we will work together than become competitors. In society, we regulate the sale of oyster mushrooms.
Before taking on this business, you need to study the technology. If you rely on information only from the Internet or somewhere else to pick up "vershoks", then you will most likely burn out at the first harvest.
- There were cases when a person spent money on production, but regretted five thousand for training, in the end he lost five hundred thousand rubles. He comes two months later with a request to teach him, - says Alexander Andreichev, an entrepreneur.
An equally important step for growing oyster mushrooms is the presence of a room and it is desirable that it be your own. It should have light, water and, ideally, gas, because the biggest costs are spent on heating water. Hot water is necessary for steaming the husk. It is very expensive to use electricity for this.
- The most important rule is patience, people want to get everything at once, and difficulties begin - they quit. Another mistake of beginners is that a person is engaged in amateur activities, deviating from technology. If you follow all the parameters, then the profitability is one hundred percent of the investment, - says Yuri Petrovich. - The prospects for the mushroom business in the region are unlimited. Now they are asking to deliver ten tons a week, but so far we are not even able to cover this need together.
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Mushroom growers who grow honey agarics, champignons and other mushrooms know how painstaking this work is, and that mistakes happen every now and then.
Do you want to know what mistakes are most common when growing oyster mushrooms and other mushrooms in order to learn how to avoid them in the future? Here are some common incidents that happen to novice mushroom growers in order to secure the future mushroom harvest.
Mistakes of beginners when growing oyster mushrooms
Poor basement ventilation
This is the biggest mistake that harms both the crop and the mushroom grower himself. If the room is not ventilated, the accumulation of spores in the room is harmful to human health and fungi, which eventually grow disproportionate - with too small caps or overly elongated legs.
We offer material on the topic:
- How to properly equip a basement for growing mushrooms
Growing oyster mushrooms at home
Bad light
Lack of light also does not benefit the mushrooms, making them frail and too long, so it is important to equip the basement with fluorescent lamps.
We offer material on the topic:
- Lighting rules for growing mushrooms
Poor microclimate
Violation of the temperature regime leads to the fact that ordinary mold grows instead of fungi, or fungi grow very slowly. And due to insufficient moisture levels, mushrooms can dry out altogether. An excess of moisture is also bad.
For example, a mushroom grower did not squeeze out the soaked straw for planting mycelium badly, and it began to rot. So, along with it, the mycelium will rot.
We offer material on the topic:
- How to properly soak your mushroom growing medium
Depletion of the substrate
If you grow oyster mushrooms in bags with sunflower seed husks or other not very nutritious substrate, it will quickly deplete, which will lead to a decrease in yield. The most fruitful will be the first cut - almost 100%, the volume of the second will be halved, the third - fourfold.
Growing oyster mushrooms
In order for the harvest to be large at any cutting period, it is necessary to constantly update the bags with mycelium and create the best conditions for growing oyster mushrooms.
We offer material on the topic:
- How to properly grow oyster mushrooms at home
- How to grow oyster mushrooms on grain
Now you know what mistakes are most common when growing oyster mushrooms. Create optimal growth conditions for this mushroom, and the oyster mushroom will delight you with full-fledged harvests!
Yes, it is true, mushrooms can cause allergic reactions, so people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases and prone to allergies should not be involved in growing oyster mushrooms. But even if you are completely healthy and you have an irresistible desire to grow mushrooms, you need to adhere to basic safety rules, namely:
do not grow oyster mushrooms in residential premises and in close proximity to them;
limit the time spent in the room where mushrooms grow, which should not exceed 2-2.5 hours;
do not allow oyster mushrooms to overripe, harvest on time, until the moment when the oyster mushroom enters the breeding phase and begins to throw out spores, which will quickly gain a high concentration in the air and cause you an allergy;
before starting work, it is imperative to do wet cleaning, you can spray water with a spray bottle or turn on a humidifier, then wait until the spores settle to the floor;
during the fruiting of mushrooms, it is advisable to wear a gauze bandage;
Fulfilling such simple recommendations, you can grow an oyster mushroom calmly (meaning, if there are no chronic and allergic diseases). Good luck!
