In 2021, 5% more mushrooms were grown in Germany than in the previous year. As reported by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), more than 81,000 tonnes of button mushrooms were harvested in 2021 on German farms with a production area of at least 1,000 m2. There are almost 100 mushroom producers in the country, of which 39 farms have a cultivation area of more than 0.1 hectares.
The total production volume of the German mushroom industry in 2021 was 83,800 tonnes. With a 97% share (81,050 tonnes), button mushrooms (Agaricus) accounted for the vast majority of mushroom production. The rest of the production was accounted for by king oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake and other exotic mushrooms.
Of the total production, 9,100 tonnes of mushrooms (11%) were certified organic. For exotic mushrooms, the percentage of organic certified production was significantly higher, around 51% (1,400 tonnes), while for button mushroom it was only 9.5% (7,700 tonnes). In the country, there are 14 mushroom farms of more than 1 hectare dedicated exclusively to organic mushroom production. This is two less than in 2020.
The growing surface increased by 6% to 379 hectares in 2021 compared to the previous year. 13% of the total area was cultivated under organic certified conditions.
Mushroom cultivation is practised on a significant scale in 9 federal states of Germany. The two largest federal states in mushroom sector were Lower Saxony with 186 ha and North Rhine-Westphalia with 70 ha.
A detailed report from the statistical office is available on the DESTATIS website.
Source: DESTATIS
