Mushroom cultivation is under increasing pressure in Spain, with the sector facing rising costs in recent years. Significant increases in straw prices for compost, the spreading of pests and diseases with fewer effective treatments to tackle them due to common European policies, or significant reductions in yields are major challenges that the sector is struggling to overcome, according to Aitor Sanzol, assistant general manager of Ayecue, which, under the brand name The Real Green Food, closed 2024 with a volume of around 13 million kilos of mushrooms, which are mainly sold on the domestic market.
"For the last three years, the situation in the mushroom sector has become dire, with costs rising sharply for various reasons, like the war in Ukraine, drought and an increase in the cost of the straw needed for compost, or pests and diseases considerably reducing yields due to a lack of effective treatments. Last year's drought put us in a critical situation and forced us to buy straw in France and other Central European countries at very high prices, including transport," says Sanzol.
"Although we hope that this problem in finding raw materials such as straw is temporary, everything points to the fact that it could be more structural, as the issues with the harvests seem to indicate that we are really experiencing climate change, with increasingly hotter and drier years, as well as more adverse weather conditions that are taking a toll on both production volumes and quality," he says.
Aitor Sanzol also points out that the ban on the use of effective active ingredients to combat diseases and pests in mushroom cultivation is causing yields to plummet. "With such low yields, the increase in costs is even more accentuated, which is why we are desperately looking for alternatives to alleviate the advance of diseases. Mushroom cultivation in Spain is in a critical situation, not only in the fresh market but also in the canning sector."
This has motivated the creation, with the participation of public administrations, of the Mushroom Board, which is meant as a tool to combat the difficulties faced by the sector, but according to Aitor Sanzol, "more long-term solutions are needed because the situation is really tough," he says. "Let's not forget either that while this is a generalized problem in agriculture, there's an extremely high need for labor in mushroom cultivation, especially during harvesting, as it is a very intensive crop. There is a lack of skilled labor, too much employee turnover, and high rates of absenteeism.
In 2025, the trend is not likely to improve after such a tough 2024, with generational changeover also at a critical point. "Young people do not see mushrooms as an attractive and profitable option and many producers are growing old. Fortunately, we are part of a major food group, TRGF, with highly trained professionals and experts in different areas, including management. So, despite the difficulties, we are managing to keep going, while other smaller companies that lack this specialization and professionalization are doomed to disappear if things don't change.
Recently, The Real Green Food's mushrooms have won Spain's Flavor of the Year 2025 award for the second year in a row, an award based on consumer ratings. It gives us hope to see that mushrooms are a well-liked product, also by the new generations, given their versatility as a perfect accompaniment to any dish, as well as their convenience. However, I think we still have a long way to go and there is still plenty of room for consumption to continue to increase, especially if we are able to come up with more ready-to-eat solutions."
For more information:
Aitor Sanzol
Ayecue-The Real Green Food
Tel.: +34 948 84 58 35
Tel.: +34 652804147
a.sanzol@therealgreenfood.com
www.therealgreenfood.com/