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Mushrooms on the rise - in commercial sheds and homes


Mushroom-growing businesses are a good choice, says the Nepal Agriculture Research Council.
While farming may seem a less than ideal business for people with degrees, more and more graduates are seeing the potential for well-researched marketable agriculture. And mushroom-farming is one of the businesses making sense to people looking to work for themselves on the farm.


In Australia, the indoor mushroom-growing market is highly scientific in terms of equipment, fertilizer, and growing conditions – much of which is computerized. Some ultra-modern equipment is not produced in Australia and is only available in Europe. In fact, farmers can check the growth of their mushrooms by iPhone or computer from anywhere in the world. Majestic Mushrooms near Canberra in Australia grows button mushrooms and Swiss brown mushrooms in laboratory-type sheds that look like aircraft hangers. The highest shelves need a stepladder on wheels to reach them. Everything is “clinically efficient” with nothing wasted – stalks are sold as cattle feed and the mixture that the mushrooms are grown in is emptied onto a conveyor belt and sold as compost. However, because the sheds are climate-controlled, there are no “seasons” which means that the owners work full-time on a never-ending cycle. They are power-dependent so the sheds are expensive to operate and any change in the power flow can mean damage to the mushrooms.
Mushrooms are known to have excellent health qualities and are highly nutritious. But even if there is no desire to be a commercial mushroom farmer, they can be grown on a lower-scale simply and effectively. In Nepal, I witnessed families growing mushrooms in their bedrooms, providing nutrition for their children and an income for the household.


The eaten part of a mushroom is the fruit of the fungus which sprouts as spore-producing appendages while the vegetative portion of the fungus remains underground. In Nepal mushrooms were once considered an unhealthy crop, but interest is increasing due to their low cholesterol and low calorie properties. Of thousands of mushroom species in the world, only around 2,000 are edible and about 20 species are cultivated commercially, with only 4 or 5 under industrial cultivation. Currently in Nepal, oyster and button mushrooms are cultivated, but farmers are also considering shiitake mushrooms. The trend over the past years shows an increase in consumption and demand. The Nepal Agriculture Research Council says the commercial cultivation of mushrooms is increasing rapidly in the country.



http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/food-news/growing-a-big-business-20130812-2rs5n.html
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