Maltese mushrooms are under threat, with local farms saying they risk bankruptcy

Local mushrooms are under threat as the few farms that produce them could close down soon due to the rising cost of compost and transport, according to farmers.
The price of compost from the European Union has soared by 40 per cent and a container to ship it over now costs €700 more, said mushroom farmer Horace Vella, who believes his farm in Kerċem will have to close.
“It will not make it to 2024,” Vella, who produces 1,000 kilogrammes of mushrooms a month, said.

The six or so mushroom farms in Malta, he said, are “on the brink of closing down” and will only survive a few months more if a solution is not found.
Producing compost in Malta is probably the only option, despite being a lengthy process and requiring enough hay, the farmer added.
Vella, who has been operating his mushroom farm for seven years, spends about €10,800 on compost every 45-day cycle – up from around €8,500 previously – to fill up the garages in which the mushrooms are grown.
Known as insulation sheds, complete with air conditioners, they cost Vella €2,500 a month in energy bills from June to September, down to a monthly €1,800 in winter.
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