Picking mushrooms in one of the 19 growing rooms.
Discussion with foreign guests during the company visit.
the Chinese Mushroom Days were able to visit, started production. According to figures from Tongfa, yields of 33 kg/m2 are realised in five to six ‘harvests’ per year. The output could be up to tenfold higher than on some traditional farms in the region, while the daily compost output at 200 tons/day should be enough to supply the Zhangzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone between Zhangzhou and Xiamen with good quality compost.
The guests received a warm welcome and were treated to a mushroom-based drink. Many Tongfa products were displayed in the showroom, including mushrooms in baskets. The jars and cans of mushrooms were labelled with brand names such as La Coruna, Nercissus, Beste Ernte, Deyco, Gartenkrone, Mili, Fleurs Champs, Wasil and Lazeza. The labels with Cyrillic and Arabic script also gave a good indication of the export destinations.
Plenty of work ahead
The farm numbers 19 growing rooms with Dutch shelving, six beds high and with a growing surface area of 530 m2. Two rooms are filled each week and the casing is sourced locally – a mixture of earth. The variety grown on the farm is W192 (which has a flatter cap than A15 and is more suitable for transport without cooling). The machines on the farm as local too, as a gesture in support of local industries. At the time of the visit, the guide informed us that (expensive) straw was in short supply and only one of the seven phase I bunkers was operating, and one of the seven tunnels.
After the visit, a discussion ensued with the visitors, including representatives from leading businesses such as Christiaens, Dalsem, AEM and Hoving, and numerous Dutch advisors, who still had many unanswered questions. The idea
behind the demo centre is clear and well-inten- tioned, and its goal is a necessity. Setting up a satellite system of growers able to supply year-round, and who can buy their compost and sell their produce centrally, is not a bad idea, but how will these farms be able to compete with the immense, new professional factory farms springing up across China? What design will be used in the growing rooms? How many growers are active in the system, or plan to join? The group was critical of the total setup of the composting and growing activities, the layout and quality of the buildings. Tongfa was open to suggestions, but time was too limited to give any in-depth advice. “You need a total working concept” was the opinion of Jan Gielen of Delphy, when asked his thoughts on possible investment in climate control installations.
The demo project serves as pioneer in the
modernisation process.
One of the phase I bunkers was in operation. MUSHROOM BUSINESS 23
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