CHALLENGES OF EXOTIC MUSHROOM CULTIVATION (7)
Second Flush.
each block yields 900 grams, and we arrive at a figure of around 7.20 ~7.50 USD worth of shiitake per block across three flushes. With just the first flush, that average is under 4 USD conside- ring the lower average quality and lower selling rates that far- mers get from the shiitake of a first flush. Despite almost 70% of Japan being forested, and Japan having the second highest % of forest coverage of all OECD countries, behind only Finland, sawdust is quite expensive here. Specifically, deciduous sawdust, and oak varieties, is fairly expensive. The southern island of Kyushu, being a warmer climate, has wider natural range of deciduous forests and so the issue is not as bad for farms there, but in the major producing region of central and northern Japan, deciduous sawdust has gotten both scarce and expensive. The aftermath of the melt- down at the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor had the unfortunate effect of irradiating the core deciduous sawdust producing region of Japan outside of Kyushu. Cultural demands for perfection and stability also play out with sawdust though, as Japanese farms buy mushroom-farming sawdust from specialized producers who cut only younger trees and handle processing and storage and also filter for rocks and other debris before delivery. Japanese farms have a supply net- work of regular, timed and reliable deliveries of quality, hetero- genous (a nice diversity in grain size) sawdust or wood chips. Freshness, good sugar content, healthiness of the wood, and minimal contamination from industrial processing define Japanese sawdust and this comes at a premium price. The same is true as culture plays out for spawn: Japanese spawn costs about 4 times as much as is standard for shiitake spawn in Europe and North America. The difference is that here, if a batch goes wrong and farms can clearly establish the issue as spawn, spawn makers will take full responsibility and cover the losses. Similarly, a substrate maker that sells inoculated blocks will generally have to reimburse farms if blocks do not produce as promised. This kind of system of post-sale responsibility and diffused risk are a major part of how Japan is able to pro- duce at very low-price points despite high energy costs and labor costs that, while cheaper than Europe and the United
Dried out shiitake block after second flush.
States, are much higher than in China. Imported Chinese shiitake for the fresh market, while demand is low, are only about 200~250 yen cheaper per kilogram wholesale, a diffe- rence of just 20~25%. Looking at costs like this shows the specific tradeoffs that the business climate and the consumer culture of Japan made and how these influence growing parameters and the shape and size of shiitake blocks. An autoclave for roughly 1000 2.5-kilogram blocks will generally require upwards of 700 liters of kerosene or crude oil to run the broiler. This is around 1000~1100 USD. Each block may use around 10 ml of sawdust spawn, which assuming a 1000 ml bottle of spawn priced at 1500~1800 yen, is 10 bottles of spawn for 1000 blocks, and an addition 150~200 USD. Therefore, even before material costs and depreciation costs, there is roughly 1.30 USD in costs for each block. Afterwards is the cost of climate control associated with 100 days of incuba- tion, plus labor costs, given a typical wage around 1000 yen per hour, or 10 USD speaking again, in generous real purchasing power terms. Average harvesting rates are around 40~45 kilo- grams per hour, though very good harvesters can sometimes manage 55~60 kilograms per hour when not dealing with first flushes. Just considering that first flush however, 1000 blocks will yield around 500 kilograms of shiitake at 11 manhours, give or take one or two. That means an additional cost from harves- ting alone of 110 USD, and the cost for packaging 500 kilograms of shiitake will be an addition 3~5 manhours. Averaging out the medians, there is an additional 150 USD in labor costs up to the point of sale. This inches the cost up to 1.45 per block without estimating depreciation costs, energy costs from incubation, or material costs, which should make it easy to see that earning under 4 USD per block with just a first flush isn’t feasible for farms in Japan. Long-term, the price of shiitake continues to fall in Japan, and farms are continuing to adapt. Japanese farms are bringing in additional automation, making serious investments in automated harvesting, and finding ways to reduce energy costs and material costs where ever possible.
50 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
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