Undelivered speech at the GEPC members' gala dinner on May 21, 2025
Since the Polish Mushroom Association joined GEPC, we inform our colleagues about the situation of mushroom growing in Poland. Statistics show that Poland occupies a leading place in Europe in the production of mushrooms, and in the export of fresh mushrooms even the first place in the world. How did the Central European country gain such a position? Until relatively recently, there was a political and economic system that was not conducive to the development of areas that raised the standard of people's lives. What mattered was the production of coal and steel, needed to produce tanks. If in the 1970s mushrooms in Poland cost as much as a kilogram of pork loin, you can imagine who could afford it. However, a deeper analysis of mushroom cultivation in Poland indicates that both in terms of climate and raw materials, there were conditions for growing those species. Polish nobles organizing a study tour to France at the time discovered Champignon de Paris. They were decorated by French cooks who set up small farms next to each palace. The period of glory of the Polish state ended with 123 years of captivity. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, many in the former Russian Empire, apparently also had French cooks, mushroom cultivation was greatly developed. Before World War I, Warsaw, which was within the Russian Empire, was supplied with mushrooms from Moscow. A collogram of mushrooms cost as much as a pair of shoes. Warsaw gardeners became interested in this crop and began to grow it in greenhouses, under window sills. After Poland regained independence in 1918, mushroom cultivation returned to manors. Sources say that before World War II, Poland produced 50 tons of mushrooms. After World War II, the pioneers in cultivation were repartians from France. The mushroom was imported from Czechoslovakia from Gottwaldów. We can talk about organized production since the late 1950s, when the horticultural cooperative decided to contract mushrooms. The spiritus movens of our mushroom making was Dr. Tadeusz Bukowski, who after practicing in Hungary with Dr. Alela Uzonij mastered the technique of producing commercial mycelium. He was also the initiator of the establishment of the Association and the publication of the professional magazine Biuletyn Producenta Pieczarek, which exists today and whose editor-in-chief Monika Pomiankowska we are pleased to host today. The cooperative offered the mushroom keeper: a guarantee of sale at profitable prices, transfer of money after 7 days, investment and turnover loan repaid with mushrooms. Also professional advice, laboratory tests of compost and cover, participation in training giving a certificate, permission to cultivate and training young mushroom makers. Why did the cooperative create such great conditions? The goal was to get the foreign currency from the export of mushrooms. The export of mushrooms from Poland began in 1961 when 12 kilos of mushrooms went to Vienna. The quality was so good that further larger shipments went. Last year it was 125,000 tons. In the 1980s, the Dutch discovered mushroom eldorado in Poland. Small mushrooms with a high dry matter content. These mushrooms were blanched and in an icy water, not brine, sent to Dutch processing plants. For customs purposes, they were called dehadreted in water. The scale of this venture was so large that it threatened to stabilize the market, as is now said about Chinese mushrooms. At the request of the then GEPC, import quotas were imposed and they amounted to 33,000 tons. The change in the political and economic system in Poland in 1989 forced a number of reforms. Inflation in February 1990 was 1180% and still in December 1992 it was 44%. How to survive it? Most of the mushroom makers suspended production. Global production fell from 100,000 tons to 50,000 tons. The implementation of the Dutch phase 2 compost production system resulted in a significant pattern of yields. The goods and old trade contacts have been renewed. This time Poles opted for water production. And where were the best water producers, so in the Netherlands. Dozens of mushroom producers went to training at the famous Mushroom School in Horst. Dutch mushroom growers were outraged because they financed 50% of this school. Then the director of the school Mrs. Trudy van Mengen reassured that these Poles sleep at lectures after the hardships of a journey from a far country and toasts in honor of the organizers. Apparently, learning in a dream is possible because soon merchants from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands could order our excellent mushrooms. Poland's accession to the EU has abolished all border restrictions, especially we do not miss the German border services, known from GRUNDLICHKEIT. Naturally, it was necessary to quickly adapt to the procedures and obtain the appropriate certificates. All these problems were solved. Polish mushroom making was on the way to supplying Europe with mushrooms. Accession to the Union accelerated the process of combining producers into groups, financial incentives helped a lot here. The most important thing is to have a place to sell and use local resources, especially labor, because this is the main factor in the production of mushrooms for the fresh market. Polish manufacturers, based on traditions, made excellent use of these opportunities. Tomorrow you will see it in practice. Thank you for your attention.
Undelivered speech at the GEPC members' gala dinner on May 21, 2025
Undelivered speech at the GEPC members' gala dinner on May 21, 2025
- Partnerzy
