Agro-Projects reports: new opportunities are appearing on the mushroom market of Western Europe as well as in the World.

Agro-Projects, one of the largest general contractors in building mushroom farms and compost yards in Europe, conveys that West European, as well as Central and South European mushroom business, is going to grow significantly during the next 10-20 years. Unlike four-three years ago, when most offer requests that Agro-Projects used to receive, were coming from investors in Eastern Europe - now definitely more than 60% are from investors from Western and Central Europe. New facilities are being built - Agro-Projects has recently finished its construction of three mushroom farms in France, two of them consist of 22 chambers and is currently working on the fourth.
Daniel Dajewski, CEO of Agro-Projects, who has been involved in mushroom industry for almost last 10 years, explains that the movement towards increasing mushroom production in Western Europe is natural for several obvious reasons.   

Mushroom becomes “trendy food”
Mushroom is a nutritious product that additionally can be used as meat substitute (The Blend, promoted by Mushroom Council¹) and is sustainable (i.e. concept of eating food, produced in responsible to the Earth way, coming to Europe from USA²) so it fits into many nutritional trends of the future. Those trends include: eating healthy products, plant-based diets, paying attention to proteins, antioxidants and other bioactive compounds in food, diet that prevents cancer and dementia, and vitamin D.
Across developed economies of Western Europe, there is a growing popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets, in which mushrooms fit perfectly (e.g. Italian`s percentage of vegetarians during 2019-2020 increased from 7.1% to 8.9%³ ; e.g. in Germany in 2020 the volume of consumed meat substitutes was 25.5 million kg - increase of c. 82% from previous year⁴).
According to Agro-Projects' customers and partners in Western Europe, nowadays mushroom associations, as well as European farms themselves, are paying more and more attention to making consumers aware of mushroom compatibility trends that are step by step increasing consumption and production.

Local mushrooms displace imported and may cost more
On one hand, in many West European countries consumption of mushrooms is high enough, around 3-4 kg per capita⁵ , and the demand for them is continuously increasing (e.g. in France⁶) - so to invest in mushroom farm looks like a good idea. On the other hand, West European countries are used to importing mushrooms from Poland, Netherlands because existing farms cannot satisfy their demand. For example, according to German association of mushroom producers Bund Deutscher Champignon-und Kulturpilzanbauer E.V., in Germany in 2021 domestic mushroom producers where able to produce only 60-65% of the amount of all mushrooms consumed⁷.
Today the situation is changing dramatically. As one of the investors who is considering building a mushroom farm with Agro-Projects in Germany explains: Germans now want to buy German mushrooms because they are domestic, fresh, moreover buying such mushrooms supports local growers - in fact Germans prefer local mushrooms, even if they cost more. Investors from other West European countries describes the similar situation. No doubts such background opens many opportunities for those who want to set up modern mushroom farm in Western Europe. However, the investor should take into consideration that consumers in these countries have very high-quality requirements for mushrooms, because for years they have been accustomed to buying high quality Polish mushrooms. That's why it's so important to find a partner who can advise and help you design, build, equip, and put into production a truly modern and efficient mushroom farm.
Some mushroom industry experts explain that the movement towards domestic and local products has become stronger during Covid pandemic⁸, probably as the natural consumers’ desire to feel safe. There is no doubt that mushroom associations and cooperatives, and even government institutions of Western European countries are also investing in promoting the consumption of local mushrooms, as this makes their product more desirable and bought at a higher price (see as the example the project “Mushroom miles⁹”). In such movement, investors who build mushroom farms in Western Europe, are going to be supported.

Investors are able to have their mushrooms in one year
From Agro-Projects’ many years of experience, we know that the duration of construction of a mushroom farm depends on many factors - first of all, on which contractor you have chosen and what experience he has. If you choose Agro-Projects - the usual 12 chambers farm will take up to 8 months to build¹⁰, and mushroom sales will be possible nearly a month and a half after the farm is up and running. In comparison to apples, pears or other fruits - return on investment in the mushroom industry is much faster. Number of Agro-Projects’ clients admit it is the reason why mushroom business is so attractive for them.

Conclusion
In addition, some investors told Agro-Projects that to build a mushroom farm in Europe they can look for some financial back-up from the government or international funds. Since mushroom growing is a type of sustainable production and creates tens of workplaces, some subsides, grants and loans could be received (e.g. in UK¹¹).
Among requires that specialists of Agro-Projects now receive are modernizations of already existing farms in Western Europe. The reason is that domestic suppliers want to compete in quality with imported mushrooms. That is also the topic of the future - number of old West European mushroom farms are going to become modernized. In many countries, where the unemployment level is low and labor cost is on relatively high level, there can be observed a trend of looking for the solutions for more automated production, especially in the area of picking.
West European mushroom markets are growing, new modern farms are going to be built over the next few years and the number of mushrooms produced locally is going to increase. However, this process is not going to be fast and simple. Agro-Projects is one of those partners that transmits knowledge, accumulated over the years and helps to build and equip mushroom farms all over the worlds.

Background information
Polish company Agro-Projects is from one hand one of the largest in Europe companies that designs, builds turnkey and equips mushroom farms and compost yards, from the other hand produces and offers reliable equipment such as filling machines, racks, picking lorries, etc. It has more than 70 completed investments in the world. Argo-Projects has been operating for 7 years in the mushroom sector but the experience among the team and management is much longer.
Please find more information about the company here: https://www.agro-projects.eu/en/

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[1] The Mushroom Council, The Blend. Available at: https://www.mushroomcouncil.com/the-blend/ .

[2] South Mill Champs, Sustainable Mushroom Farm. Available at: https://southmill.com/farm-to-finger/responsibly-grown/ .

[3] Vegolosi.it, Eurispes 2020, aumentano i vegani: mai un dato così alto. Available at: https://www.vegolosi.it/news/eurispes-2020-vegani-vegetariani/ .

[4] Statista, Growth of meat substitute consumption in Germany from 2014 to 2026. Available at: https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1276748/germany-meat-substitute-consumption-growth .

[5] Karol Kania i Synowie, Mushroom Consumption Worldwide – Statistics. Available at: https://kania.net.pl/en/mushroom-consumption-worldwide-statistics/#:~:text=In%20leading%20European%20countries%20consumption,has%20increased%20by%20240%25!

[6] Businesscoot, The mushroom market France. Available at: https://www.businesscoot.com/en/study/the-mushroom-market-france .

[7] Gombaforum, German mushroom production statistics in brief. Available at: https://www.gombaforum.hu/en/2021/gazdasag/nemet-gombaipari-statisztika-roviden/ .

[8] FreshPlaza, Noticeable increase in demand for brown mushrooms. Available at: https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9392667/noticeable-increase-in-demand-for-brown-mushrooms/ .

[9] Mushroom miles. Available at: https://mushroommiles.com/ .

[10] Agro-Projects, Gribowyj Raj - Mushroom Farm. Available at: https://www.agro-projects.eu/projects/gribowyj-raj/.

[11] UK StartUPS, Government Funding For A Mushroom Farming Business. Available at: https://www.ukstartups.org/government-funding-for-a-mushroom-farming-business/ .

The Dutch Mushroom Days, scheduled for 6, 7 and 8 July have been cancelled last Friday by the organizers. Main reason for this decision was the cumulative cancellation of leading exhibitors.

“The number of cancellations by the Dutch exhibitors in particular has become so great that, after a weighing of interests, according to (the board of) the Mushroom Days Foundation, the success of the Mushroom Days 2022 is jeopardized. Without participants, the Mushroom Days cannot serve as a platform for meetings and knowledge exchange and the benefits no longer outweigh the costs. The board of the Mushroom Days Foundation therefore has no choice but to cancel the Mushroom Days 2022 for good”

With these words, the board announced the cancellation of the Mushroom Days last Friday the 15th. Some exhibitors expressed their concerns in March this year and advised to postpone the Mushroom Days to 2023. Main reasons for these concerns were and still are COVID (travel) restrictions in some regions in the world, especially in China. Travel restrictions would have a negative impact on the participating exhibitors but also on the event visitors. The other concern is currently how the situation in the Ukraine will further evolve. The negative financial climate is worrying people and bringing a lot of question marks as well. Next to this the timing of the Mushroom Days in July is not ideal.

These concerns were communicated to the organization, however positive signals on the other hand led to the decision to go ahead with organizing the event. A lot of discussions took place, as a group of exhibitors felt not heard by the organization, to consider postponement of the Mushroom Days to 2023. As a result of this, the organization was confronted by more and more cancellations of leading exhibitors which created a stripped-down exhibition floor. The revenues could not outweigh the costs anymore so the choice to cancel the event had to be made.

The organization is informing all exhibitors and visitors and is looking into the financial consequences for all those involved.
This situation is deeply regretted by the leading exhibitors and the organizers as well, but they also expressed looking forward to next year, when the circumstances are hopefully much better.

Mushroom picking trolley for the lowest beds optimizes the picking process from 1st and 2nd bed.

The user-friendly Powerfogger 60 Champignon has been specially developed for the disinfection of mushroom cultivation chambers.

•    Very effective for indoor disinfection
•    Ideal for fly control

Characteristics
This robust device makes it possible to dis- infect chambers quickly one after another with only one tank fill. The unique fogger disperses very fine droplets, which spread evenly and quickly. The droplets contain a high quantity of agent and little water, so a lot of active substance can be applied with a minimal water consumption.

Technical data
Power: 1,5 kW electric motor
Fluid tank capacity: 60 l (fully emptied) Output: approx. 25 l/h
Effective fog range: 60–80 m Adjustable droplet size: 10–20 µm Mechanical steering clock.

My previous blog described what the pH should do during the composting process. This blog examines the role of the raw materials, such as ammonium sulphate, gypsum and water.

The Ukraine grew about 70,000 tons of mushrooms and about 350 mushroom, oyster farms in 2021.

Due to the Russian invasion and in several cases, rockets hitting mushroom complexes and causing partial destruction, about half of the mushroom farms were forced to stop. Ukrainian mushroom growers that stayed behind, continue to harvest where possible and support the army and the population.

Compost production

Of the seven largest composting plants in Ukraine, two ceased operations altogether and were forced to evacuate staff. Five others stopped producing new batches immediately after the fighting began, and in some cases disposed of what was already in production. Thus, the composting plants, which are still working, have the opportunity to ship compost for another week or two.

Peat

Peat for mushroom growing has become a particular problem, as the main deposits of peat, and, accordingly, the production of so-called "casing soil" are in the north of the country, where the situation is very turbulent. Therefore, most of the casing soil production stopped shipping from the first days of hostilities. As of March 15, it is known that some of them have started offering peat, but the situation remains unstable.

Logistics

Mushroom farms and compost production reported that the cost of delivery of peat, compost and mushrooms increased by 2-3 times. In addition, it is difficult to find transport, and a significant number of regions remain almost inaccessible for delivery there and there.

Mushroom farms

About half of the mushroom farms have completely shut down, in many cases simply by turning off the lights and evacuating. Other farms, in areas where the situation was calmer (often this means that missiles and fighters fly directly over the roofs, but do not drop bombs directly in the village), continued to harvest. Much, or even all, of farmers hand over their products to the army or as humanitarian aid to the population.

Source and for more information:
Maksym Yenchenko Mushroom Information Agency "UMDIS"
Telephone: +380-67-506-45-21
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.umdis.org

Photo: from the Rio Champignon Facebook page

TenCate Nicolon nets (Tunnel-glide-growing nets) are known worldwide for its performance and reliability and became the standard for the mushroom composting and mushroom growing industry.

Besides the nets, TenCate produces TenCate Toptex® Straw Cover, the essential cover to protect your expensive straw and keep the high quality.

The main component of mushroom substrate/compost is wheat straw. Structure is one of the properties that straw brings to the compost and it also creates a water buffer. Due to the composting process the waxy layer surrounding the straw is removed and the straw is able to absorb water.

Thanks to its continuous fibers, the TenCate Toptex® fleece offers a very low water absorption capacity. Coupled with very fast drainage of rainwater and its enormously high air permeability, this fleece stands out as a permanently reliable and proven storage method. The protective fleece can be used on both sides. The UV and thermal stabilizers contained in the fleece keep it durable for many years, even under high solar radiation. A service life of over 10 years is not uncommon with careful handling. When covering, it is important to ensure optimum tensioning – the fleece must be tightly tensioned at all times.

TenCate Toptex® protection fabric protects straw bales reliably against wind and rain, providing effective respiration. The high quality of the straw is preserved throughout the whole winter season, drying off after heavy rainfall, and the development of mould is avoided.

THE BENEFITS OF TENCATE TOPTEX® (More information at www.toptex.eu)

• Permeable to air and vapour (avoids mould development)
• Water shedding (drains off water at slope angles >45°)
• Resistant to wind lifting, the straw dries off even after heavy rainfallHigh tensile strength and tear resistance (withstands even strong winds)
• UV stable

You can also watch their video here.