Economic viability of shiitake cultivation at different production scales

Abstract

National interest in shiitake commercial cultivation is growing, due to their nutritional and medicinal properties, and appreciable taste. The cultivation of this mushroom is a profitable alternative for activity diversification in an agricultural property. With the aim of determining, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, the economic viability of the shiitake cultivation considering a cycle of 14 months, this experiment was carried out using 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 eucalyptus trunks. The production scales of 2,000 and 4,000 trunks presented the smallest production costs per kg of the fresh mushroom, around US$3.25 and the highest profitability, approximately 34%. The economic viability analysis was proven favorable for the three greatest scales, with the best results for 2,000 trunks (29.77%) and 4,000 (33.43%).