Information about the industry in Bulgaria
The new technology for bunker composting implies a high degree of quality guarantees, shortened terms of the main technological processes and security for our clients, who can much better plan their business.
FACTS:
1. The technology
Cultivated mushroom production in Bulgaria has been lagging behind in terms of technology in leading countries for years. The main problem of mushroom production in our country is the inability to obtain quality compost - the nutrient medium for cultivated mushrooms. The reason for this is the poor technical equipment of the farms and their enormous fragmentation. The process of "composting" in Bulgaria takes place according to a long-rejected technology - compost piles are stirred in the open, releasing increased emissions of ammonia, phenols, carbon dioxide and other harmful and smelly gases into the atmosphere. Wastewater, heavily contaminated with organic impurities, mainly nitrate-based, flows uncontrollably into open and underground watersheds.
2. Competition
There is practically no such thing in the industry. In Bulgaria, there are currently over 120 small compost sites operating. None of them has been built from start to finish according to technological requirements and does not meet European standards. In addition to harming the environment, they are far from any sanitary and hygienic norms and conditions for occupational safety. Most manipulations there are carried out manually and are beyond any technological control. As a result, the clients of these "enterprises" work on the verge of the risk of complete failure and are often forced to scrap entire batches.
3. Mushrooms as a commercial commodity
- Cultivated mushrooms represent a huge wealth as food and a commercial commodity. They are a pure natural product that successfully competes with meat in terms of protein content.
- The annual consumption of mushrooms in the countries of the European Union alone is over 1,060 thousand. ton, with the price of fresh cultivated mushrooms, for example, constantly increasing and currently in the range of 1.6-2.10 euros.
4. Market environment
- Although it seems labor-intensive and not entirely attractive, mushroom production is best developed in countries with an extremely high standard - the Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Belgium. Poland has emerged as a new leader in mushroom production in recent years. Due to the suitable climatic conditions and rich raw material base, many of the major investors from the Netherlands and Belgium export their production to Poland.
- The demand for mushrooms around the world is constantly growing. In addition to cultivated mushrooms, there is increasing interest in cultivated oyster mushrooms, which already occupy over 26% of the market in Europe.
- Despite the problems of farmers in our country, Bulgaria is still a leader in the production of cultivated mushrooms in the Balkans. Our country produces nearly 11,000 tons of mushrooms per year, as much as Romania. For comparison, mushroom production in Serbia together with Kosovo is about 8,000 tons, and in Greece - only 2,000 tons. At the same time, the trend towards increasing demand has been stable in recent years, which allows many producers from Hungary and Poland to trade in the Balkans. The raw material is also not enough for the processing enterprises, which are in a particularly difficult situation after the restriction of the smuggling of raw materials from China. In this regard, the candidate does not expect any problems with the realization of his future production and has a clear vision for the specific sales.
5. National geography of the industry
- Mushroom production in Bulgaria is mainly developed in 4 regions – Plovdiv-Pazardzhik, Haskovo, Ruse and Varna. The largest number of producers – about 700 farmers and companies – work in the Plovdiv-Pazardzhik region. The largest fresh mushroom exchange is also located near Plovdiv – the market in Parvenets. Large mushroom processing enterprises are also located in the region. Mushroom production in Bulgaria is mainly organized as a small family business. Small farms are located in family yards, and most often represent temporary greenhouse-type buildings. Mushroom farms do not have the appropriate climate and ventilation systems, and this does not allow the cultivation of more than two or a maximum of three harvests per year. The most common volumes are the cultivation of cultivated mushrooms from 25 to 30 tons of compost per cage, distributed in 10-kilogram polyethylene bags. The yields in our country are about 160-180 kg of mushrooms per ton of compost, which shows that one of the farms described above produces an average of 20-22 tons of mushrooms per year. The total production of mushrooms in the Plovdiv-Pazardzhik region is currently about 3,000 tons per year, and for this purpose they process about 100,000 tons of raw compost. About 150 of all 700 producers in Southern Bulgaria have their own thermal chambers for pasteurization of compost, and about 100 produce their own compost. Most of them work using primitive technology with very low technical equipment and use mainly manual labor. These small farms are unlikely to be able to meet European standards for environmental protection, hygiene and occupational safety. In this regard, most of them will unfortunately have to cease their activities, which will lead to even greater demand for cultivated mushrooms on the market.