Worldwide, 1.7 billion euros worth of fresh and processed mushrooms are traded. The Dutch share is roughly 30%. Volume-wise, this is 1.2 million tonnes. In terms of value, the international trade in fresh mushrooms accounted for 800 million euros in 2014. A total of 730 million euros in mushroom preserves were sold last year. Trade in frozen produce was worth around 100 million euros, and dried produce and provisionally preserved mushrooms both around 50 million euros. The Dutch share for both major products, fresh and preserves, was 18 and 39% respectively. Besides white mushrooms, 1.7 billion euros of other mushrooms are sold internationally, both fresh and processed.
Polish production and trade continues to grow
Internationally, the Netherlands is the second exporter of fresh mushrooms, far behind Poland. Last year, Polish export of fresh mushrooms was higher than 200,000 tonnes for the first time. The export of Dutch produce was only 52,000. The United Kingdom is by far the world’s biggest importer of fresh mushrooms, with Germany and Russia in second and third place. In preserved mushrooms, the top 3 is made up of Germany, Russia and France. Polish production will likely be about 335,000 tonnes this year, compared to 250,000 in 2011.
Belarus: transit country to Russia
In Europe, the position of Belarus as a transit country for fresh mushrooms is notable. The import in that country increased very rapidly. In 2010 it was just a few hundred tonnes, last year almost 40,000 tonnes already. This is mostly import from Poland, but a number of countries supplied mushrooms to Belarus for the first time in 2014. The entire Belarusian import is re-exported, incidentally. Most of it goes to Russia, but Kazakhstan was also found in the list of buyers last year. Belarus is now the third export country of fresh mushrooms, and was fourth on the list of importers in 2014.
Globally, Russia is the third importer of fresh mushrooms. In 2014, the country imported 42,000 tonnes, significantly less than the 62,000 tonnes in 2013. After the import boycott, the import of fresh mushrooms in Russia declined sharply, particularly the (direct) import from Poland. This year, practically all of the Russian import comes from Belarus.
China biggest exporter mushroom preserves
The biggest exporter of mushroom preserves is China, followed by the Netherlands, with 240,000 and 220,000 tonnes respectively last year. Chinese produce, which used to go to Europe and the United States in large quantities, has been exported mostly to other countries in recent years. Russia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Canada are the main buyers. The export to Germany fell to below 10,000 tonnes. Ten years ago, that was still 30,000 tonnes.
Germany main importer, Russia second
Germany is the world’s most important importer of mushroom preserves, although the import is not nearly as big as before: 65,000 tonnes compared to 113,000 tonnes in 2008. China and France lost a major share in the German market in particular. Russia is also a sizeable buyer of mushroom preserves. Following continuous increase, the import in that country decreased to 44,000 tonnes last year, however, a decrease that continues in the first quarter of this year. Most of the produce imported in Russia comes from China.
More and more preserves through the Netherlands to the United States
The Netherlands manages to sell more and more mushroom preserves in the United States, from a few hundred tonnes in 2009 to 30,000 tonnes in 2014. American import statistics show a much lower figure, less than 20,000 tonnes. A partial explanation could be that French produce crosses the ocean through the Netherlands. French export figures give a much higher figure for export to the United States than the American import figure for France. Other countries selling mushroom preserves are Spain and Poland. Spanish export is mostly focused on neighbouring countries. Poland exports preserves to Germany. Apart from 30,000 tonnes of full preserves, Poland also exports around 10,000 tonnes semi-preserves. This export focuses on Germany and the Netherlands.
Netherlands dominates global trade in frozen and dried mushrooms
Most of the international trade in dried and frozen white mushrooms occurs through the Netherlands. Last year, 9,100 tonnes of dried produce were sold internationally, 8,500 of which via the Netherlands. Last year, the Netherlands exported 84,000 tonnes of frozen mushrooms. Germany and Belgium are the biggest buyers of this product.
Global trade other mushrooms not as big as white mushrooms
In addition to white mushrooms, many other mushrooms are sold as well. China exports nearly one billion euros’ worth of dried mushrooms other than white mushrooms, mostly dried shiitake. This trade mainly focuses on other Asian countries. Nearly half a billion euros’ worth of other fresh mushrooms are sold worldwide. China, Italy and the Netherlands are the three main exporters.
