Shanxi county exports mushrooms to South Korea

A truck loaded with shiitakes departed from Jiaokou county in Shanxi province for South Korea on April 18, marking the first such mushroom export by the county. 

The first deal with South Korea included 500,000 shiitakes produced by Weihe Agriculture Development Co, a leading mushroom producer in Jiaokou county. 

"The shiitake export marked a new stage for the development of the edible mushroom industry in our county," said Qiao Jingsong, head of the Jiaokou county government.

In recent years, Jiaokou county has taken advantage of its local cool summer environment and climate and developed an edible mushroom industry, mainly summer mushrooms, to meet a gap in the market caused by less mushroom production from July to October. The edible fungi industry has been a prime mover for local economic growth since 2015.

The annual output of edible fungi has now reached 25,000 tons, generating output value of 300 million yuan ($44.59 million). Two modern demonstration industrial parks have been built to boost the mushroom industry, helping more than 4,200 poor households increase their income.

A press conference about the mushroom exports to South Korea is held in Jiaokou county, Shanxi province, on April 18. [Photo/Xinhua]

Workers load shiitakes to be exported to South Korea onto a truck in Jiaokou county, Shanxi province, on April 18. [Photo/Xinhua]