Mycelium (vegetative body of mushrooms)

2022: Magnit will invest 1 billion rubles in the production of mycelium, which is needed for growing mushrooms

On September 19, 2022, Magnit announced the investment of 1 billion rubles in the production of mycelium, which is needed for growing mushrooms. The retailer is implementing a project on the basis of its own mushroom complex in the Krasnodar Territory.

Mycelium (vegetative body of mushrooms) is an organic sowing material necessary for growing mushrooms. By September 2022, the industry is largely dependent on foreign suppliers, and the need for mycelia is growing annually.

The mycelium production capacity of Magnit can be 1.5 million liters per year, which will cover 40% of the needs of the Russian market for mycelium, and will fully ensure Magnit's requests for seed for growing champignons, the company said.

The start of mycelium production will allow the retail network to completely import substitution of European raw materials, improve the quality of products, as well as create additional jobs in the Kuban.

Investments in the project will amount to 1 billion rubles, the retailer's press service said.

The center for the production of uterine mycelium will be a modern laboratory where a collection of raw materials will be stored. Specialists will constantly select genetic material: supporting (preserving the properties of strains) and improving (creating new improved strains). It is also planned to create separate growing chambers for testing the obtained samples.

The production of cultivated mushrooms is one of the promising areas of domestic agriculture and it is important that it has favorable conditions for development, "says Ilya Gamov, director of agro-industrial production at the Magnit retail chain. - Mushrooms are a new alternative protein, they contain almost the same amino acids as meat, so 'Magnet' makes such a useful product available to the mass consumer, offering a profitable price on the shelf and a diverse range.

According to him, the start of mycelium production will allow the retailer not only to cover its own needs, but also to make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the Russian mushroom industry as a whole.^[1]

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