The mushroom sector is holding up well in Italy. Prices are fairly stable and consumers do not notice excessive increases in the supermarket either. Still, cultivators are seeing their profit margins decrease due to the increase in the cost of raw materials.
"The increase in the cost of raw materials and energy - as energyconsumption is high in the cultivation facilities - worries us. Our future does not look bright if the government does not intervene to support the sector," said Andrea Prando, president of the Italian Association of Mushroom Growers.
"The Italian product is very popular in the market. The quality is very high. We carry out many inspections and processing is done very carefully. Unfortunately, our cultivation companies, which consume as much energy as energy-intensive industrial companies, are not adequately supported by the government."
All cultivated mushrooms that Italian consumers find in supermarkets every day are grown in Italy and undergo very strict quality controls. "The standards for Italian companies are among the strictest in Europe, but today it seems that there is no awareness of the need to protect and develop our supply chain."
The Italian Association of Mushroom Growers, which represents 90% of Italian cultivation (57,000 tons annually), is part of the European Group of Mushroom Growers, which represents the interests of the supply chain in Europe. The Italian association assists the companies with research programs to use production resources as efficiently as possible.
A joint European program to promote the consumption of mushrooms, aimed at consumers in the 24-44 age group, will start in 2023. The aim is to raise awareness of the special properties of cultivated mushrooms, especially mushrooms, the most widely grown mushroom in Italy.
"In Italy, the cultivation of mushrooms is an activity that dates back to the 1960s. But only those farms that have managed to adapt and restructure have survived. Indeed, it takes huge investments in sustainable technologies to set up systems that can uninterruptedly supply the different types of mushrooms you see in supermarkets today, like Pleurotus, Poplar and Cardoncello varieties. Few other European countries can boast of such cultivation. We are very proud of that," concluded Prando.
