Chinese edible fungi supplier eyes bigger role in US market

Qihe now employs more than 100 local people in the mushroom growing farms, according to Du.

Du said Qihe also plans to process mushrooms to make mushroom drinks and develop products for medical and cosmetological purposes.

Moreover, Qihe is working to convert discarded mushroom spawn logs into organic soil conditioner, which could enhance the output of produce by 10 percent to 20 percent, according to Du.

The conversion of waste mushroom spawn logs would help build an integrated industry chain with a closed loop, said Sheng Dongwei, a business partner of Qihe.

The production of soil conditioner would kick off by the end of 2022 with key technologies and equipment to be imported from China, said Sheng, who represents a Chinese solution supplier in this regard.

Headquartered in East China's Zibo city, Qihe makes mushroom spawn logs out of recycled twigs and branches from apple orchards and has built a business covering China, South Korea, Japan, the United States, Poland and others.