The 2019 Mushrooms Days were held from 22 to 24 May. This is the 35th edition of this trade show. It was held in the Brabant Halls in ’s Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. Today was the last day of this trade fair.
Mushroom market
The Netherlands is known as one of the largest players in the global mushroom industry. This European country is one of the largest mushroom producers in the world. That is to say, besides the United States, China, and Poland. In 2018, an area totaling 660,000m2 of mushrooms was grown in the Netherlands.
In 2010, this was still 730.000m2. In around the year 2000, there were more than 500 Dutch companies involved in mushroom cultivation. Now there are only 110. Of the total Dutch production of mushrooms, 80% is exported. Most of the preserved exports go to Germany.
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Dutch mushrooms are mostly sold in Germany, England, France, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands, itself. On the fresh market, it is Poland, in particular, that is manifesting itself. The Polish export sector is growing at a rapid pace.
This market has doubled in ten years. In 2017, it amounted to 226,245 tons. This makes Poland the largest exports of fresh mushrooms in the world. This country was well represented at the Mushroom Days. They had their own pavilion.
The number of Dutch fresh mushrooms being exported is shrinking. However, the Netherlands is still the number two fresh mushroom export country in the world. The amount of this product that was export in 2017 came to 72,006 tons.
Within Europe, it is only Belgium that exports reasonable amounts of mushrooms. In 2017, this was 16,371 tons. China is the most significant player in the preserved mushroom world market. The Netherlands comes in second here. But, Poland, in third place, is still on the rise in this market.
The Mushroom Days is a trade fair for Dutch and international companies. Here, these companies present their technologies and services. They can also glean new information and insights from each other.
The trade show has an international character. Of the exhibitors, 46% come from 77 different countries. The organizers, The Mushroom Days Foundation, expected more than 3,000 people to visit the show over the three days it was on. The trade fair has grown by 30% compared to the last edition. That edition was held three years ago.
There was a diverse range of companies and various kinds of packaging. Then there were cultivation and harvesting-focused businesses. All of whom were showing off their products and services. The show's compactness made for a pleasant visit. It was well organized and was easy for visitors to see everything the fair had to offer within a few hours.
On the first day of the Mushroom Days, the Mushroom Industry Award 2019 was given out. This award was presented during the welcoming event. Magda Verfaillie, Johan Baars, Anton Sonnenberg, Ko Hooijmans and Jan Klerken won this award.