Mexico is considered the main producer of mushrooms in Latin America.
The main producing states are: Hidalgo, the State of Mexico, Jalisco, Morelos, Puebla, Querétaro, Mexico City, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz.
Hidalgo has mushroom farms that generate hundreds of tons daily. According to Octavio Llescas, a producer who has been in this sector for 23 years, it is profitable product, but not as profitable as it used to be.
More than five years ago, it produced all the fungi that it sowed, the production capacity was four to five tons per month, and it was sold in the supply centers of Tulancingo, Pachuca and Ecatepec.
"We currently don't sell a lot of fresh fungi because we sell incubated bags to small and large producers, this makes it easier for them to have the product first hand and to offer it."
It is a subsistence food alternative in rural areas, since it allows improving people's nutrition, as it can be a substitute for protein of animal origin.
The mushroom fungus is increasingly cultivated by a greater number of producers due to its low investment, ease of cultivation, adaptation to the environment, and cultivation spaces.
Octavio Llescas said that he had been fortunate to have people from Canada interested in his plants.
"There are people who work in the Pacific area that are interested in the products and there are already some samples of our products in the United States. We have our own brand, bar code, and we follow all guidelines to produce it. We have a big resource, which is why we have let our products continue to cross borders," he stated.
Source: elsoldetulancigo.com.mx