Fresh, home grown, button mushrooms are increasingly popular in Germany. And according to the latest survey, conducted by the German Federation of Mushrooms (Bundes Deutscher Champignon- und Kulturpilzanbauer, BDC) the German mushroom production is estimated at 76,000 metric tons for 2017. However, the survey also shows that German producers are struggling with an extreme increase in harvest costs, as the net harvest cost has risen by 28%, from 2015 until the end of 2017.
The delicate mushrooms are harvested by hand. This elaborate work cannot be mechanized in the foreseeable future without quality loss. Efficiency improvements are not sufficient to deal with these increased costs of recent years and they came completely at the expense of the mushroom producers.
Michael Schattenberg, the BDC chairman, explains the current situation for the German mushroom growers: “Higher prices are needed right now, so we can ensure the future supply of fresh, high-quality German mushrooms in the future. Our members are completely up-to-date with technology. Larger quantities and more intensive regional production are not sufficient to cope with the increased costs.”