Engineer returns to mushroom growing village to get rich

(Baonghean.vn) - After graduating from Ho Chi Minh City National University, Mr. Cao Minh Long, Hamlet 11, Dien Loc, Dien Chau, decided to return to his hometown to produce mushroom seeds. A pioneer in growing mushroom seeds locally, the engineer's model has earned a profit of nearly 40 million VND/month.

Studying Biotechnology at International University - Ho Chi Minh National University, Mr. Cao Minh Long is especially passionate about food production. Since he was a student, he studied and worked part-time at a mushroom production facility. Thanks to that, he gained valuable practical experience, the process of making clean mushrooms, ensuring quality; at the same time, he had business relationships; creating the premise for starting a business.

After graduating from university, Mr. Long decided to return to his hometown to start a business with a mushroom seed production model. According to him, in his hometown Dien Chau, there are many favorable conditions to develop the model such as: large garden land area to build warehouses, raw materials for mushroom growing can be utilized, or purchased at low cost, labor costs are not as high as in the city, large consumer market...

Therefore, Mr. Long boldly borrowed nearly 1 billion VND to invest in a mushroom production line such as a sawdust mixer, steamer, packaging, raw materials, etc. In addition, there is a misting system to cool the mushrooms in the summer.

The mushroom spawn bags include ingredients: sawdust, bran, NPK fertilizer...

Currently, Mr. Long produces 3 main types of mushroom seeds: abalone mushrooms, red lingzhi mushrooms, black cat mushrooms and cordyceps. The production process of abalone and black cat mushrooms takes about 1 month, while the production of high-quality red lingzhi mushrooms lasts from 4 to 6 months.

Production of mushroom spawn (abalone, red lingzhi and black fungus) goes through many stages: selecting sawdust (mainly from rubber and acacia trees), composting the sawdust for 1-2 months, then carefully screening and putting it into the mixer. After mixing, the sawdust will be put into the bagging machine and put into the steamer at over 110 degrees for 10-12 hours. After completing the steaming process, the mushroom spawn bag will be taken out to cool and start to inoculate.

From the knowledge accumulated during his university studies, Mr. Long researched and produced mushroom varieties himself.

The mushroom varieties are researched and produced by Mr. Long himself from the accumulated knowledge. He said: The initial mushroom spawn production process from the ingredients includes: stewed bones, potatoes, boiled water, bran, sugar in a clean environment. After completion, the mushroom spawn will be inoculated into each mushroom spawn. Each spawn bag can inoculate 40 - 50 spawn bags.

The mushroom spawn has been inoculated into mushroom embryos. Each bag of mushrooms like this weighs 1.3kg and costs 4,000 - 5,000 VND/bag.

As for the Cordyceps mushroom, Mr. Long raises it in a room of 35 square meters, with a temperature of 18 - 22 degrees and humidity of 80%. The raw materials for making Cordyceps include silkworm pupae and rice, produced in a sterile environment. It takes about 4 - 5 months to produce a jar of Cordyceps, and the selling price is 800,000 VND/jar. Mr. Long said that in the near future, he will produce 10,000 jars/month. However, this product is consumed more slowly due to its higher cost.

However, the difficulty of mushroom seed cultivation is that the rate of successful seedling is only about 70%. The first time implementing this model, he suffered losses at first because the mushroom seeds did not grow slowly, and had to destroy the seeds. However, he worked and researched the care techniques himself, learning more from friends and acquaintances who had experience growing mushrooms to apply to his family's model. Thanks to that, he gradually acquired more effective mushroom seed care techniques.

Mr. Long’s family’s mushroom spawn storage is covered to avoid direct sunlight which affects the growth of the mushrooms. Each month, Mr. Long’s family produces about 20,000 bags of mushroom spawn.

Although it has only been in production for more than half a year, Mr. Long's mushroom seed products are popular in the Vinh and Hanoi markets. Each month, Mr. Long's facility produces 20,000 - 25,000 bags of mushroom seeds, with the current selling price of 4,000 VND/bag. After deducting production costs, his family earns a profit of nearly 40 million VND/month.

From developing mushroom production and trading, Mr. Long has created jobs for 6 workers, mainly local people, with an income of more than 3 million VND/month. He plans to continue expanding the area of ​​mushroom seed production in the near future.

Discussing the mushroom growing model of young engineer Cao Minh Long, Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Dien Loc commune said: "This is the first mushroom seedling model in the locality, bringing high economic efficiency; opening up a new direction for economic development for the people. In the coming time, the Farmers' Association will coordinate with Mr. Long to open training courses for people on methods of producing this high-value product. At the same time, encourage people to replicate this effective production model."

Quang An