County in SE China's Fujian leads tremella mushroom production, lifting rural incomes

Employees of Fujian Tiantianyuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. livestream to promote selenium-enriched tremella mushrooms in Gutian county, Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

The edible fungus industry, led by tremella mushrooms, has become a pillar industry improving living standards in Gutian county, Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian Province.

In 2023, Gutian's edible fungus sector produced 920,000 tonnes, generating 25.5 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) in revenue. Edible fungi account for 60 percent of farmers' cash earnings in the county, with 70 percent of farming households involved in production, supply and sales.

The county harvested 396,000 tonnes of tremella mushrooms last year, over 90 percent of the world's total.

Photo shows an intelligent mushroom cultivation house in Gutian county, Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Gutian has established three industrial parks for intensive fungus processing, attracting nearly 300 enterprises, and an e-commerce industrial park for edible fungi.

At Fujian Tiantianyuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in Daqiao township, employees recently livestreamed to promote the company's selenium-enriched tremella mushrooms.

The company uses temperature-controlled smart cultivation houses and specialized equipment for energy-efficient drying, cleaning and slicing. Its technology and management practices have led to 37 patents for tremella mushroom cultivation and processing, making it a national leader in the field.

Photo shows an exhibition hall of Fujian Tiantianyuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. products in Gutian county, Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

"Gutian has supported mushroom cultivation house upgrades through policy incentives since 2019. The county now has over 100,000 cultivation houses, including more than 10,000 standardized ones," said Lai Shufang, deputy director of the county's edible fungus industry development center.

Of these, 40,000 houses are dedicated to tremella mushrooms.

Gutian has partnered with Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University to develop more tremella varieties.

Photo shows tremella mushrooms in a cultivation house in Gutian county, Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Zhang Qihui, deputy director of the county's edible fungus industry development center and senior agronomist, said the university and local government jointly established an edible fungi research institute in Gutian 10 years ago. The institute has since developed innovative research platforms.

To date, Gutian has developed over 120 varieties of edible fungi across 10 major categories.