Mushroom doctor enriches people with organic mushrooms

Rigorous process

Mr. Truong Binh Nguyen is a Doctor of Mycology and is directly teaching at the Department of Biology of Da Lat University (Lam Dong). Along with research and teaching, over the past ten years, Dr. Truong Binh Nguyen has established Nguyen Long Joint Stock Company (Nguyen Long Company) and organized cooperation with dozens of households in Lac Duong district and Ho Chi Minh City. Da Lat (Lam Dong) produces shiitake mushrooms.

According to Dr. Nguyen, the mushroom production process of Nguyen Long Company (address in Da Sar commune, Lac Duong district) is carried out according to the organic VietGAP process. In recent years, with the support of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lac Duong district and the Agricultural Extension Center of Lam Dong province, the company has changed to standard organic  shiitake production.

Nguyen shared, organic production needs to comply with many strict regulations. Specifically for organic shiitake, the issue of input materials is the most important condition. In order to have raw materials meeting organic standards, the Company has built a 0.5 hectare mushroom embryo production workshop in Da Nhim commune (Lac Duong district). Accordingly, this enterprise directly buys rubber wood that meets organic standards and then uses a mill to grind it into humus to mix with wheat bran to make embryos.

"Rubber is grown to exploit latex, so in the growing process, it will be difficult to avoid the use of pesticides by gardeners. Therefore, the company only buys wood from gardens that have stopped caring for and stopped exploiting for many years. In particular, this source of wood must undergo testing for active ingredients to ensure absolute safety," said Dr. Truong Binh Nguyen.

Currently, every month, Nguyen Long Company produces 50,000 - 60 thousand mushroom embryos to ensure organic standards. This number of embryos was applied by the Company to produce at the Company on a scale of nearly 2 hectares and transferred to associated households to organize production.

According to Dr. Nguyen, the incubation period for shiitake mushrooms lasts up to 3 months to produce fruiting bodies. Therefore, if the processes in embryo production are not followed, and the organic criteria are not guaranteed, the consequences will be huge.

Not only does the raw material for the production of mushroom embryos meet organic standards, the Company also has to build workshops and scientific production areas to avoid negative external influences. Water sources for production and air sources must also be checked regularly to ensure safety.  

Economic stability with organic production chain

Currently, Nguyen Long Company has cooperated with more than 20 households in communes of Lac Duong district and some households in Da Lat city (Lam Dong) to produce organic shiitake mushrooms. For the link chain, people are provided with standard mushroom embryos by the enterprise at the price of 12,000 VND/embryo and carry out production according to the technical process set by the Company.

The company also signed a contract to consume all mushroom products with associated households at the unit price of 70,000 - 100,000 VND/kg. This has helped many households, especially people in ethnic minority areas, to stabilize their production and improve their income.

Ms. Bo Nieng K'Nhien, Cil ethnic group (living in Dung K'No commune, Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province) said that in early 2020, her family was supported by Dr. Truong Binh Nguyen and signed a contract to cooperate in mushroom production. . Up to now, she and her family members have built 3 organic shiitake manufacturers with a scale of 50m2 each.

"In the beginning, the family's production of organic shiitake mushrooms faced many difficulties due to strict procedures. But after 1 year of implementation, everything has become easy and stable," said Ms. Bo. Nieng K'Nhien said and added that all finished mushrooms are consumed by Nguyen Long Company, so the family has a stable income. On average, the 3 mushroom houses of Ms. Bo Nieng K'Nien give an income of over 21 million VND/month.

According to Ms. Bo Nieng K'Nhien, in the past, her family's income depended on 3ha of coffee. When the price of coffee dropped, her family's economy faced many difficulties. "Since switching to organic shiitake, the family's work has been maintained and the income has improved, and there is money every month," said Ms. Bo Nieng K'Nhien.

In Da Nhim commune (Lac Duong district), Ms. Nguyen Thi Nghia's family also cooperated with Nguyen Long Company to build 4 organic shiitake manufacturers with a scale of 50m2 each. The owner of the facility said that organic production has to comply with more regulations and is more difficult than conventional production. In return, this production method creates safe products for consumers, ensures the health of producers and protects the environment. With this production method, the product price is also purchased by the Company at a higher rate than in the usual way.

Nghia said that the climate in Lac Duong area is cool, so the growth of shiitake mushrooms is favorable. For mushroom growth and quality, mushroom owners install a sprinkler irrigation system on the roof and water at the base of the mushroom house to ensure moisture. Watering and temperature maintenance are also flexible and adjusted to suit outdoor weather conditions.

"Currently, each bag of mushroom embryos has a yield of 0.3 - 0.4 kg/cycle. From 4 mushroom houses, the family has an average income of over 20 million VND per month", said Ms. Nguyen Thi Nghia happily.

According to Dr. Truong Binh Nguyen, in the coming time, along with the expansion of the association model of organic shiitake production, the Company will focus on mushroom processing to diversify products, improve value and continue to grow. market expansion. In particular, the Company will research and produce shiitake snacks. Currently, every month, Nguyen Long Company supplies over 15 tons of organic shiitake mushrooms to the market.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lac Duong district, said that in the past time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lac Duong district and Lam Dong Agricultural Extension Center have supported Nguyen Long Company in building and developing the chain. organic shiitake production. Over time, the model has been effective, especially creating a high income source for farmers.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung said: "The issue of food hygiene and safety is very important nowadays. Therefore, the organic shiitake mushroom production model at Nguyen Long Company will be one of the model points for people to learn from. Next time, we will continue to coordinate with Nguyen Long Company to expand this chain of links."