China has become the world largest domestic fungi producing country, with its production accounting for more than half of the world's total, according to the Chinese Edible Fungi Association.
The country turns out 5.2 million tons of fungi a year, worth 20 million yuan (US$2.4 million) in terms of production value and exports US$650 million worth fungi each year, statistics show.
Production of lentinus edodes, agaric, tuckahoe, white jelly fungus hedgehogt fungus and straw mushroom were ranked first in the world, according to Liu Caimin, deputy director of the Chinese Edible Fungi Association.
Domestic fungi are rich in protein, delicious in taste and has little salt, sugar and fat, according to experts. Chinese enterprises have developed a variety of health-care food with fungi as the main ingredient.
Some fungi are also of high-value for medicine. The country has found 150 kinds fungi, which have the biological activity to help prevent against cancer.
(Xinhua 04/18/2001)
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