SHCHUCHIN, 4 October (BelTA) – The first mushroom farm to grow champignons has been opened in Shchuchin, BelTA has learned.
The new enterprise has been established in place of a former military airfield. OOO Logal-Bio is the investor. The investment contract was signed in mid-2017. The investments have exceeded Br10 million. It took about a year to create the enterprise.
“We've studied the experience and technologies of leading European champignon farmers, have been to a lot of farms, and have decided that such an enterprise can be set up in Belarus, too,” noted Logal-Bio Director Alexander Aleinikov. The total area under mushrooms is close to 8,600m2. The farm is designed to produce about 2,400 tonnes of mushrooms per annum.
The business process is highly automated. Computers are used to control the microclimate. Manual labor is used only in the final stage. Soft hands of Belarusian women are needed to pick up the mushrooms. The personnel even had to undertake a special training course. The enterprise has created 95 jobs. One mushroom production cycle lasts about 36 days and produces three harvests.
Alexander Aleinikov went on saying that Shchuchin District had not been chosen by accident. “We implemented an investment project to set up a solar power plant here 2.5 years ago,” he said. “The district has a comfortable investment climate. We feel the support of the municipal government.” In his words, Shchuchin's advantageous location near the M6 motorway was another factor since the company intends to export about 95% of the output to Russia.
Another farm is being built. It will be commissioned in 2019 and will create about 200 jobs.
During the opening ceremony Grodno Oblast Vice Governor Yelena Bubenchik said that about 500 various offers are available to investors in Grodno Oblast. “Instead of simply making the offers the Shchuchin District administration works hard to implement them. It is important that quite many jobs are created. It is a testimony of development of the region,” she said.
The head of the Shchuchin District administration Sergei Lozhechnik also noted that the district is attractive to the private sector. Three 1MW biogas plants will be commissioned soon. Woodworking enterprises have been opened, creating about 40 jobs. Recent negotiations with a major European furniture manufacturer on opening a factory were a success.
