Finding markets for mushrooms through the OCOP Program

Mr Do Quang Trung and his wife, residents of Hung Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province, have been building their family for nearly a decade but still face financial difficulties. While pondering and contemplating on finding a new entrepreneurial direction, Mr Trung coincidentally came across an article discussing a highly effective mushroom cultivation model in Quang Nam province. This mushroom model has been the direction he has been researching and nurturing for a long time. With great determination, Mr Trung discussed with his wife and decided to pack up and head to Quang Nam to learn from this mushroom model, aiming to build their own model based on their experience.

Having gained valuable experience, Mr Trung established a Cooperative for Mushroom Cultivation (under the Agricultural Services Cooperative of Hung Trach) and embarked on developing the mushroom cultivation model on their own family land. Due to difficult economic conditions, the initial entrepreneurship step for Mr Trung and his wife was a small-scale model, covering only 50m2, focusing on cultivating white and brown mushrooms.

With the advantage of cultivating mushrooms in agricultural and forested areas, Mr. Trung's family has effectively utilized locally available raw materials to support mushroom cultivation. Mr Trung shared: "There are plenty of materials for mushroom cultivation here, such as straw and corn husks. During the harvest season, we simply gather from nearby fields, not only utilizing agricultural by-products but also contributing to environmental protection. As for sawdust, we often use it from rubber wood and tamarind trees... although we have to purchase them, they are readily available nearby, saving transportation effort".

Ganoderma mushroom is a valuable type of fungus, beneficial for enhancing health and treating illnesses... Recognizing the growing demand for Ganoderma mushrooms among customers, Mr Trung boldly expanded the scale of his operations and invested in cultivating this type of mushroom. However, initially focusing solely on cultivation without considering the market demand led to ineffective production of Ganoderma mushrooms. Additionally, fluctuating success in cultivating oyster mushrooms sometimes made Mr. Trung contemplate giving up. However, with the encouragement and support of family members, he persevered through difficulties to maintain the mushroom cultivation model.

Recently, Mr. Trung had the opportunity to visit and learn about Ganoderma mushroom cultivation techniques in northern provinces through the VFBC project (Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation). During this time, he learned about the technique of cultivating Ganoderma mushrooms from wood logs. This method allows the mushrooms to grow naturally, and the growers do not need to invest in purchasing nutrients and additives, making it much more effective compared to traditional cultivation methods. Therefore, from 2023 onwards, Mr Trung returned to cultivating Ganoderma mushrooms using this new method, which has been successful, gradually establishing a market demand.

Thanks to diligence, willingness to learn experiences, techniques, and production processes for mushroom spawns, mushroom cultivation has yielded results beyond expectations. Up to now, Mr. Trung's mushroom cultivation cooperative has expanded to nearly 300m2, cultivating various types of mushrooms including oyster mushrooms, Ganoderma mushrooms, and straw mushrooms. The annual harvest yields 7-8 tons of fresh mushrooms, bringing in profits of nearly VND 300 million. This model not only provides Mr Trung's family with a stable source of income but also creates employment for about 10 workers in the local area. Mr Trung emphasized: "To produce clean mushrooms, we strictly adhere to the production process, ensuring safety from mushroom spawns to cultivation practices, water usage, and farm hygiene, and absolutely refrain from using growth stimulants to ensure consumer health. Furthermore, we also focus on expanding the market to improve production".

Recognizing the quality of Mr. Do Quang Trung's mushroom cultivation model and leveraging the potential and advantages of the local area, the People's Committee of Hung Trach commune, in collaboration with the VFBC project, supported and accompanied the family in building an OCOP (One Commune One Product) product for oyster mushrooms. The local government and the VFBC project provided guidance and assistance to Mr Trung's family in designing product packaging, completing the product's branding, registering trademarks, and tracing origins to establish the OCOP oyster mushroom product. As a result, by the end of 2023, Mr. Trung's oyster mushroom product was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product at the district level.

In further discussions, Mr Trung shared that starting from scratch and achieving a mushroom cultivation model like this today is a source of happiness for him and his wife. Despite producing quality mushrooms and having an OCOP product, there is still much effort needed to further develop and stabilize the model, including investing in packaging design, packaging specifications, expanding mushroom cultivation areas, and seeking market linkages. Mr. Trung expressed his plans for the future: "If circumstances allow, in the coming time, we will expand the mushroom cultivation area by about 130m2; develop an OCOP Ganoderma mushroom product; and invest in funds to open a store to introduce and sell OCOP products".