The Xingye Edible Fungi Professional Cooperative in Lainan village, Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, Jiangsu province, is celebrating a harvest of shiitake mushrooms as the peak picking season gets underway in over 100 greenhouses.

Miao Jian, the cooperative's leader, spoke with enthusiasm about this year's mushroom growth, noting an estimated total yield surpassing 300,000 kilograms.

"Compared to last year, the cooperative expects a production increase of around 10,000 kg, accompanied by a price rise of 0.25 yuan ($0.03) per kg," Ma added.

Since its establishment in 2009, the cooperative has established a complete industry chain, covering mushroom seed production, raw material supply, cultivation, deep processing, and product sales.

The cooperative has not only supported 58 member households in mushroom cultivation and generated over 10 million yuan in annual sales of agricultural products, but also provided steady employment for 15 low-income households, with each household seeing an annual income increase of over 20,000 yuan.

In 2023, the cooperative harvested more than 10,000-kg morel mushrooms, earning the Special Gold Award at the inaugural "Good Fresh Mushrooms" tasting event in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Looking ahead, Miao elaborated on the cooperative's plans for the future, "This year, the cooperative has constructed 50 greenhouses for morel mushroom cultivation. We aim to expand the cultivation area to about 6.67 hectares next year and encourage more farmers to join in the cultivation of morel mushrooms.”

A farmer harvests mushrooms in the cooperative. [Photo/Nantong Daily]