Developments in the mushroom industry are ripe.

This year, a particularly difficult situation has developed in the domestic mushroom sector. According to the overview of the National Chamber of Agriculture, demand for fresh mushrooms fell more significantly in the summer compared to previous years, while at the same time there was a strong oversupply not only in the domestic but also in the entire European Union market. Demand seems to be strengthening towards the end of the summer, so the domestic mushroom market can be expected to stabilize in the coming months. This situation highlighted that the market is unable to withstand sudden large-volume movements and fluctuations in demand. The mushroom market is oversaturated across Europe, and players are crowding each other out – the strongest are the ones who survive.

It is true of the domestic mushroom sector as a whole that production is becoming increasingly concentrated. Due to strong market competition, many small producers have stopped growing, and only the capital-rich mushroom growers who produce with maximum efficiency have been able to survive. Today, there are practically three growing regions left: Kerecsend, Bócsa and Pest counties. The domestic mushroom cultivation area has grown to between 160-170 thousand m² in recent years (due to its closed, shelf production system, the cultivation area in hectares is not comparable to other cultures).

Hungary plays a decisive role in EU mushroom cultivation; alongside the Netherlands and Poland, Hungary sees the EU mushroom market. The domestic mushroom market can be said to be stable overall, a promising and developing sector. In recent years, the producers that dominate the domestic market have implemented significant developments and capacity expansion, and several have now reached the end of years of investments. As a result, the cultivation area has now expanded by several thousand square meters. In addition, producers can also utilize the existing growing tents more efficiently.

30 percent of the domestic mushroom crop is sold to export markets. In the past decade, exports have ranged between 7-9 thousand tons, and in 2024, our mushroom exports were 8,500 tons. Our main target markets for fresh mushrooms are neighboring countries, primarily Austria, but we also ship to Slovakia and Romania in smaller quantities.

From a nutritional point of view, mushrooms are superfoods because they are very low in calories, but they are rich sources of fiber and protein, as well as valuable minerals and vitamins. Thanks to their favorable amino acid composition, they can be easily included in vegetarian and vegan diets to supplement plant proteins. Although mushroom consumption remains popular, the average mushroom consumption per capita in Hungary is around 1.5 kg/person/year, which is significantly lower than the European 3 kg. Mushrooms are a product that can be grown in an extremely sustainable way, with a very low water footprint; 3-4 liters of water are sufficient to produce 1 kg of mushrooms. Agricultural by-products (straw, chicken and horse manure) are used to produce mushroom compost, which is used to produce healthy food, and the harvested mushroom compost can be used as a soil conditioner.