The World Mushroom Market and Brazil’s Role: Industrial Integration as a Key for Competitiveness

Purpose: In this article we presented the main aspects of world mushroom market emphasizing the major opportunities for Brazil producers. Theoretical framework: A recent market research shows that it is foreseen to increase significantly from 2018 until 2026 with a compound annual growth rate of 6.41%. China is the major player in the world mushroom market and their products with low prices are gaining space in the Brazilian market resulting in problems to national producers. Design/Methodology/Approach: The article was designed via bibliographic survey of international publications with scientific recognition using Scopus, Web of Science and Scholar Google. Books and recent news also were used as a source of information. Topics researched were mushrooms, world mushroom market, Brazilian mushroom market e the use of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) in industrial chain. Findings: One of the most promising opportunities is the integration between agri-food industries and mushroom production via exchange of waste and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) in a circular economy model. Conclusion: The use of SMS could be the key to reduce the cost of Brazilian mushroom production and, consequently increase its competitiveness, associated with a reduction of environmental impacts of the industrial activities.