The Sultanate’s leading producer of fresh mushrooms secured export markets for more than 80 per cent of its total output last year, adding locally grown mushrooms to a growing list of ‘Made in Oman’ products that are quintessentially Omani in their appeal.
Publicly traded Gulf Mushroom Products Co SAOG, which operates the Middle East’s largest high-tech mushroom farm at Barka in South Al Batinah Governorate, said it earned over RO 5 million in revenues from exports of around 84 per cent of its total fresh mushroom production of 3,859 metric tonnes last year
Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) represent the predominant market for a range of the company’s fresh mushroom varieties, including the popular white button mushroom (also known as champignon de Paris), giant white mushroom, brown button mushroom, portabella mushroom, baby white button mushroom, oyster, shiitake, Vitamin-D and sliced mushrooms.
However, the pandemic did have an impact on the company’s output and sales, said Gulf Mushroom’s Chairman.
Disruptions caused to the airline, travel, tourism and hospitality sectors — all of which represent important constituent markets for Gulf Mushroom’s products — had a knock-on effect on the company’s overall performance during the year, he noted.
“(Gulf Mushroom) was able to minimise the impact by proactively securing its supply chain, protecting its human resources by implementing plans to control the pandemic spread among the employees and finding alternative transport logistics to export mushrooms to GCC markets after the disruption of airfreight logistics. Production and sales were reduced, but there was no interruption, and the company’s cash flows remained positive despite the effect of the pandemic,” he stated in the Chairman’s Report for fiscal 2020.
Output slumped 15 per cent to 3,859 metric tonnes last year, down from 4,545 metric tonnes a year earlier, primarily due to the pandemic. Revenues also declined 19 per cent to RO 6.087 million in 2020, compared to RO 7.522 million a year earlier. Net profit after tax dropped 55 per cent to RO 272K for 2020, down from RO 600K in 2019, the company said.
Established in 1997, Gulf Mushroom operates a modern, climate controlled facility at Barka with a capacity to produce 15 metric tonnes per day of the vegetable all year-round.
CONRAD PRABHU
@conradprabhu
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