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Meeting Positive vibe at Euromycel Conference
On 24 April 2014, Euromycel, in association with other suppli- ers, organised the second edition of this successful conference for the Polish mushroom sector.
By Jan Gielen, DLV Plant Mushrooms Manager / Climate & Energy Specialist
Keeping pace with the rapid professionalism of mushroom growing in Poland is an increasing thirst for knowledge. Initiated by French spawn producer Euromycel, and with the support of a number of suppliers (Mykogen Poland, Champion Group, Agro- Trade, Stefaniuk and MCSubstradd) a conference was organised for the second time, held on 24 April in the Kolumnapark Hotel, Dobroń. The objective was to provide a platform for all stakeholders in the Polish sector to meet and address a number of issues at the same time. An estimated 80 participants atten- ded this (free) event.
Lectures After a short welcome and introduction to the company by Frederic Mathieu of Euromycel France, Ryszard Gnus (Euromycel Poland) spoke on the technical features of mushroom picking. Illustrated by examples including a growth curve, he explained when the idea moment of harvesting is to retain qua- lity. The E58 is Euromycel’s most successful variety, and it is also highly popular among Polish growers due to its quality, colour and keeping properties. Krzysztof Smierzchalski (Agro Trade) then gave an overview of production and innovation in the field of disinfection. My own lecture covered climate-related aspects in tunnels and growing rooms. This is a hot topic, as investment is still on-going in expanding compost plants and mushroom growing farms in Poland.
After the copious lunch, Gaëlle Huchet (Euromycel France) detailed the importance of lab inspections with professional spawn production and multiplica- tion and the new research guidelines in these areas. Arpad Mutsy (BioFungi Hungary) outlined the global developments in the mushroom sector, and gave his
From left to right: Jacek Walczkak (grower), Barbara Olcakowska (SBGU), Wlodzimierz Jablons- ki (Fungis), Agnieska Czyszewska (MCSub- stradd), Jerzy Labus (SBGU), Joris Kaanen (Havens), Martyna Comte (Euromycel), Krystian Szudyga (President SBGU) and Wim Joosten (MCSubstradd).
opinion on which developments the sector should respond to, with an emphasis on the importance of quality and marketing (preferably at European level). To round off the conference, Krystian Szudyga (President SBGU) gave a resume of the develop- ments and current situation in the Polish mushroom sector. His examples of packaging, qualities and shop presentation and display clearly illustrated that there is plenty of room for improvement. The agreeable day was closed with a delightful dinner and an awesome presentation by Krzysztof Starnawski about risk management when diving to great depths in underground caverns. Here too, just like in our sector, knowledge, good equipment and meticulous preparation all help limit the risks to a minimum.
Few concerns in Poland To sum up, the Polish mushroom sector comprises approximately 20 compost plants and around 2500 mushroom production farms. Similarly to trends in other countries, the smaller, outmoded farms tend to disappear and upscaling is taking place. Expan- sion is continuing, both at compost plants and at mushroom growing sites. The current production volume is around 300,000 tons per year, with the major export markets being Russia and West Europe, including England. There are relatively few apparent concerns about the sales market, but increasing pro- duction will ultimately demand greater attention to quality and marketing. Despite the current instability in Russia and Ukraine (which is sure to have a major impact on the European mushroom industry) the prevailing vibe among the Polish participants was positive. ◗
A tasteful end to the event in pleasant com- pany. From left to right: Arpad Mutsy (BioFun- gi), Paulina Wyszkows- ka and Martyna Comte (Euromycel).
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