Growing straw mushrooms helps Ms. Be have a stable source of income.

Her family mainly does farming. During her free time, Ms. Nguyen Thi Be (38 years old), a member of the Women's Union Branch 2, Thuy Chau Ward, planted 2 straw mushroom domes to earn extra income. After a while, Ms. Be found that growing straw mushrooms brought a fairly stable income, so from 2 mushroom domes, she invested in expanding the scale to 5 domes.

“Growing straw mushrooms is not easy but not too hard either; you just need to keep the mushroom dome moist in the dry season and warm enough in the winter; compared to rice and other crops, growing mushrooms brings in higher income. The wholesale price of straw mushrooms for traders ranges from 80,000 to 140,000 VND/kg. During the cold rainy months, growing mushrooms is more difficult, requiring coal fans and heating, so the selling price can be 280,000 VND/kg,” said Ms. Be.

Normally, a batch of mushrooms, from the stages of straw incubation, straw treading, straw cake making, spawning, dome building, care... to harvest, takes 21 days. For each mushroom dome, Ms. Be grows about 400 bags of mushrooms, yielding 40 - 50 kg of mushrooms. Ms. Be grows mushrooms in alternating seasons, so they can be harvested year-round.

“Previously, my family’s economy mainly depended on a few fields. Since expanding the mushroom growing scale, my family’s economy has been more stable. After deducting expenses, I earn more than 20 million VND each month. Thanks to that, my husband and I have more money to pay for our children’s education. In the future, I will make 2-3 more mushroom domes because the market demand for straw mushrooms is still very good,” Ms. Be happily said.

Like Ms. Be, Ms. Lam Thi Chanh’s family currently has 7 mushroom domes, providing a stable income. “By joining the association, we, the female members, not only share experiences but also share product outputs and good mushroom sources; help each other during peak periods of straw treading and straw cake making... We are also willing to help and guide female members who want to learn how to grow mushrooms and join the association,” Ms. Chanh shared.

Developing the straw mushroom growing profession not only helps female members of Branch 2, Women's Union of Thuy Chau Ward have more jobs and a stable source of income, but also contributes to making use of straw after each crop.

Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Bich, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Thuy Chau Ward, said: Currently, the local straw mushroom growing association has 35 members. Since joining the association, expanding the scale and developing the straw mushroom growing profession, the family economy of the members has become more stable. The local straw mushroom growing profession not only helps increase the income of the members but also creates jobs for many local women. Each worker hired to pedal straw and make straw cakes has an income of 300,000 VND/day. Currently, the Women's Union of the ward is actively promoting so that members know the effectiveness of the local straw mushroom growing profession as well as being ready to support members in borrowing capital to start a business, connecting so that women can learn the profession and find outlets for their products.

Article and photos: Thao Vy

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/hieu-qua-tu-lien-ket-trong-nam-rom-154365.html