This vigorous April indicates the busy spring farming time in Heilongjiang Province of China.

Now, in Sandao Mushroom Cooperative which situates in Shangzhi City, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China, Black fungi are showing desirable growth trend, after a few days, they are going to enter into the markets of France, Australia, America and Canada. By 2018, the estimated annual output capacity on Black fungus reaches 50 million bags.

As China’s main production region of Black fungus, Heilongjiang Province accounts for 50% of China’s gross Black fungus output. Within the province, Shangzhi City is the area that initially debuts artificial Black fungus cultivation.

With the advantageous conditions of large diurnal temperature variation, clear spring water and superior water quality, organic Black fungi produced in Shangzhi city are preferred by customers by virtues of thick texture and abundant nutrition.

Over the years, Shangzhi City keeps on introducing internationally-advanced technology and equipment on establishment of greenhouses which are controllable on aspect of temperature, humidity, illumination and ventilation. Besides, the city persists in touching in line with international markets on required variety, packaging and label of manufacturing enterprise. In 2014, Shangzhi City was approved as National Geographic Mark Certification of Black Fungus.

In recent years, mushroom industry has been grasped as one of four pillar industries which promote farmers to generate revenues in Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province of China. Now, the city has become China’s largest production and marketing region of Black fungus.

Last year, gross capacity of mushroom cultivation attained 4.3 billion bags and per capita pure incomes came to 3500 CNY within the city.

“Black fungus and Monkey head mushroom are characteristic agricultural products in Northeast China. Over the years, along with the acceleration of structural adjustment on crop farming, output of Black fungus has been increased year by year in all regions within Heilongjiang Province,” introduces Supply and Marketing Cooperative of Mudanjiang City warmly, adding that in case that sales markets are restricted to Northeast China, OVERSUPPLY is easy to come by.

This year, in order to reverse the situation which emphasizes large quantity and low price, Mudanjiang City vigorously promotes Facility Agriculture, guides farmers and specialized cooperatives to realize greenhouse-mode and garden-mode mushroom production. To analyze on actual situation, market price of greenhouse-mode Black fungus could be lifted by 1- CNY compared with field-mode one. Besides, anti-season production could be achieved on Monkey head mushroom while products are superior in quality and high in price.

According to investigation from related department, in 2017, rate of mushroom processing only reached 8% in Mudanjiang City.

Compared with the retail price of 60 CNY per kg in northeast market, the present market price on superior Black fungus reaches 100 CNY per kg in Guangdong Province while export price to Korea is doubled to 120 CNY per kg.

Interesting movie on Ten Cate Nicolon pulling nets for the Mushroom Industry.

On Friday 13 April 2018, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander has opened CNC Grondstoffen's new Indoor Fresh Compost factory in Milsbeek, the Netherlands.

Indoor Fresh Compost is a high quality and environmentally friendly ingredient for phase III compost. All 32 tunnels at the new factory started operating at the end of December 2017, so that all phase III compost currently produced by CNC Grondstoffen is based on the Indoor Fresh Compost procedure with an optimal process duration.

CNC Grondstoffen processes more than 600,000 tons of horse manure, chicken manure and gypsum annually to create high quality compost, or substrate, used to grow mushrooms. CNC Grondstoffen is one of the five companies that form CNC Holding. This group of companies has eight branches in the Netherlands and Poland and sells substrates for mushroom growing in more than 30 countries.  

Circular economy

The production process that transforms manure into substrate is environmentally friendly. By fully reusing manure – which is actually a waste product –  as an input resource CNC Grondstoffen contributes to the circular economy. During the production process, air scrubbers remove ammonia emissions. The ammonia recovered in this way is reused in the production processes. To neutralise the odour of manure, CNC Grondstoffen uses bark-filled biobeds which contain micro-organisms that absorb the odours. The end product is a sustainable, high quality substrate for mushroom growing. The location of the factory, which facilitates fewer road transport kilometres, also reduces CO2 emissions by two million kilos per year.

Photo caption:
•Official opening new Indoor Fresh Compost factory CNC on April 13, 2018 by King Willem-Alexander and Tom van Wijk, director CNC Grondstoffen BV.
•Guided tour through the new factory.