The mushroom has yet to show its potential in the Lebanese marketplace. Although its market has been expanding in recent years, mushroom cultivation in Lebanon is relatively recent. Quite feasible economically, such projects possess potential worth exploring.

Health Benefits


Many people are interested in the nutritional and medicinal aspects of mushrooms. They are a source of penicillin and the diverse types yield varied medical benefits.

Recent scientific evidence suggests that many species contain substances that may prevent or alleviate cancer, heart disease or viral infections. They have proven useful in reducing cholesterol levels and blood clots in the body and their extracts are found in ulcer and hepatitis medications.

Various studies have also shown that mushrooms carry great benefits after surgery by providing the body with strength and energy, and many researchers believe that regular consumption can constitute an effective natural medication against some diseases.

Mushroom Growth


Despite the diversity of mushroom types and their production potential economically, very few are cultivated in the Lebanese market, because of the specific requirements and qualifications.

One of the main conditions for mushroom growth is cultivation in dark, insulated rooms at specific moisture, temperature and oxygen levels. The process is highly sensitive and requires sterilized rooms and equipment, as growth is easily affected by pollution and human contamination.

How To Begin

On a small scale, the establishment of a 50 sq. m. room equipped for mushroom cultivation should cost no more than $15,000. This room can be expected to produce 1,200-1,700 kilograms of fresh mushrooms within one month, with profit on one kilogram reaching approximately $0.5.

A more advanced project, estimated at $50,000, would include two production rooms, one vaccination room, one sterilization room, one laboratory fermentation room and a fermentation area, as well as additional equipment. Such a project would yield an expected 1,700-3,000 kilograms of fresh mushrooms per month.

Project Phases


Table 1 provides a summary of Information International’s cost/benefit analysis for a project of collecting, packaging and marketing mushrooms cultivated in Lebanon.

The project consists of supplying local farms with raw material and orienting farmers toward appropriate cultivation and care methods. Potential production is later bought from these farms, to be packaged and marketed locally as well as exported.

The project is composed of three major phases and can start at any stage, with the condition that 30% of the estimated cost for the specified phase is available.

• Mushroom production in the first phase will satisfy local market needs.
• In phase two, production potential increases to cover both the Lebanese and Syrian markets.
• Phase three covers regional market demands.

Currently, Lebanon’s fresh mushroom consumption stands at three tons per year, but local production does not exceed 0.5 tons.

Cost/Benefit Analysis