How to Make Money with Oyster Mushroom Farming in Korea

2. Start-up cost

Costs vary greatly depending on whether you build, rent or convert a greenhouse. There is no official start-up figure; get quotes for each item.

The government’s return-to-farm start-up loan offers up to KRW 300 million per household in 2026, with 5 years’ grace then 10 years of repayment, at a fixed 1.5% or variable rate; the actual amount depends on review.

Under the Farmland Act Enforcement Decree, a mushroom house built on farmland still counts as farmland, so no farmland-conversion permit is needed. Check building-permit rules with your city/county office.

3. Equipment and growing method (shelf cultivation)

Summarised in plain words from RDA’s Nongsaro materials:

1. Make substrate: wet cotton or straw to about 70% moisture (2–3 drops when squeezed). Compost outdoors, turning about 3 times once it heats above 60 °C.
2. Fill beds: about 20 cm deep.
3. Pasteurize and post-ferment: steam at 60–65 °C for 10–24 h, then 50–55 °C for 2–4 days.
4. Spawn: at about 25 °C, 10–15 spawn bottles per 3.3 m².
5. Mycelium growth: 25–30 °C for 15–20 days; above 32 °C invites contamination.
6. Fruiting: drop to 10–16 °C with light; humidity 90–95% at first, then 80–90%; ventilate to keep CO₂ at or below 2,000 ppm; water about 800 ml per 3.3 m² a day.
7. Harvest and pack: pick before caps flatten; pack in 2–4 kg boxes or 100–200 g packs.
8. Disinfect: after the crop, steam the house at 70 °C for about 7 hours.

Bottle cultivation typically mixes sawdust 70 : rice bran 30 at 62–65% moisture in 850 ml bottles, sterilized at 121 °C for 90 minutes. Because of equipment costs, most beginners start with shelves.

Buy spawn from suppliers registered under the Seed Industry Act to reduce quality problems.

4. How much can you earn?

Official income data (old)

RDA regional income data (posted by Jeju Agricultural Research and Extension Services) for 2014, per 330 m² per year:

• Yield 5,708 kg at KRW 4,360/kg
• Gross income KRW 25,083,691; operating costs KRW 12,486,970
• Income KRW 12,596,721 (50.2% income ratio)

This is more than ten years old and doesn’t reflect today’s labour, power and fuel costs. Use it as a reference only; newer figures are in RDA’s Agricultural Income Data book on Nongsaro.

2026 wholesale prices (very volatile)

Garak Market auction prices per 2 kg box (Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation data):

(KRW.) Top grade reached KRW 48,231 on Feb 13 and 37,618 on Sep 23, 2026, then fell to about 7,193 on Oct 16. Because prices swing so much, real income varies by yield, grade, sales channel and costs.

5. Where to sell

• Wholesale market auctions (e.g., Garak): high volume, volatile prices.
• Nonghyup / joint markets: easier shipping and settlement.
• Local food direct stores: you set your own price.
• Online direct sales: small packs via online stores; needs chilled delivery.
• Restaurants and side-dish shops: regular supply deals smooth out price swings.

6. Step-by-step start

1. Take training at your local agricultural technology center or agriedu.net.
2. Visit and practise on a real farm for one full crop cycle.
3. Register as an agricultural business entity with NAQS to access support programs.
4. Prepare a small growing house; check farmland and building rules with the local office.
5. Plan funding: look into the start-up loan and budget a full year including power and fuel.
6. First crop: log temperature, humidity and CO₂ daily; remove contaminated substrate quickly.
7. Secure at least two sales channels.

Watch out for these scams

Some ads sell pricey kits promising “millions of won a month from home.” Nobody can guarantee income. Others charge fees to “get your farm subsidy for you,” or take deposits for building a growing house and never finish. Check support programs directly with official sites and pay builders in stages under a written contract.