Little mushrooms bring in big bucks in Shandong

In the Dingtao district of Heze city – located in East China's Shandong province – the termite mushroom cultivation industry is thriving, offering employment opportunities for locals.

Through the establishment of professional cooperatives and digital greenhouses, Dingtao district is nowadays providing mushroom strains and cultivation technology services, enabling more people to work close to home.

The Mingjiaxing Agricultural Crop Planting Cooperative in the district has created ideal conditions inside its greenhouses for termite mushrooms, which are known for their tender texture and delicious taste.

Farmer Yang Shenqi harvests mushrooms there daily, with yields ranging from 50-200 kilograms per day. The current market price is around 60 yuan ($8.23) per kilogram.

A grower harvests the termite mushrooms in Dingtao district. [Photo by Yan Xiaona for chinadaily.com.cn]

To ensure high-quality production and increased profitability, Dingtao district has set up a dozen professional cooperatives that oversee the entire production chain for black-skinned termite mushrooms.

This includes the cultivation of the mushroom strains, processing and sales. These cooperatives also provide coordinated mushroom strains and cultivation technology services to farmers.

Currently, Dingtao district possesses a liquid mushroom strain production line and over 100 demonstration cultivation sheds.

As a result, the annual sales revenue for these distinctive mushrooms there now exceeds 40 million yuan, offering local residents a new avenue for income growth and prosperity. (Edited by Jin Yongxue)