Tlhagisetso-kgwebo ya dithuntshwane tse di jegang e oketsegile go feta makgetlhô ale 30 fa e sale ka 1978, mme shiitake (Lentinus edodes) e dira mo go nnang 22% ya dithuntshwane tsa lefatshe. Mefuta e mengwe e e botlhokwa ya thuntshwane e akaretsa thuntshwane ya kgetla, ya konopo le e e borokwa (Agaricus spp) enoki le dithuntshwane tse di jegang tsa mouta wa sethemi (Auricularia spp). Mefuta enô ele metlhano ya thuntshwane e dira mo go fitlhang go 85% ya dithuntshwane tse di lemilweng mo lefatsheng.
Ntle le go lema sejô se se botlhokwa se se ka kgonang go nna le seabe mo tswelodisong ya dijo, tlhagiso ya thuntshwane gape ke tiriso e ntle ya ditswatlhagisong tsa temôthuo tse di jaaka mosutele wa kgogo le lotlhaka lwa korong.
Dithuntshwane ke motswedi wa dijo o o dikotla o o ka diriswang jaaka leemedi la nama mme di na le dipoêlô di le di ntsi tsa itekanelo le kalafi. Mo godimo ga fao, morago ga tlhagiso ya thuntshwane, boalô jo bo dirisitsweng (motshotelô wa thuntshwane) o matshwanedi jaaka monontsha wa mmu ka ntlha ya bokgoni jwa ona jwa go oketsa botswatsheding mo mmung.
Ga se phologolo ebile ga se sejalo, dithuntshwane ke karolo ya bogosi jwa mouta. Dithuntshwane ke mebele e e nama ya mouta e e nang le thitô, kêpisi le makgwafo, fela di ka akaretsa gape mefuta e e rileng e e senang dithitô. Dithuntshwane di mela mo boalông jo di bo dirisang jaaka motswedi wa dijo ka ge di sena chlorophyll mme ka jalo di ka se tlhagisi dijo tse eleng tsa tsona jaaka sejalo se dira.
Dithuntshwane tsotlhe di tlhagisa dikapeo tse di phatlhalatswang ke mowa, fa thuntshwane e e setseng e butswa jaaka e golela mo boalông jwa botswatsheding. Kwa sekgweng, boalô jonô e ka nna logong lo lo bodileng, fela mo dipolaseng tsa kgwebo tsa thuntshwane, boalô jonô ke motshotelô.
China ke motlhagisi (le modirisi) yo mogolo mo lefatsheng wa dithuntshwane ka ditone tse di fetang 5 million tse di tlhagiswang ngwaga le ngwaga. Italy (761 000 tonnes), USA (390 000 tonnes), Netherlands (301 000 tonnes) le Poland ke batlhagisi ba bangwe ba ba iponagaditseng.
Afrika Borwa e tlhagisa mo go ka dirang 21 000 tonnes ka ngwaga (2018) ka halofo ya batlhagisi ba thuntshwane kwa Gauteng, 28% kwa Kapa Bophirima, le 17% kwa KwaZulu-Natal. Dithuntshwane dingwe tsa Afrika Borwa di romelwa-ntle, bontsi jwa tsone kwa dinageng tsa boagisani tse di jaaka Namibia le Mauritius.
Polase ya ntlha ya thuntshwane mo Afrika Borwa e katswa e ne ele ya ngaka ya malwetse a sesadi Dr Charles Kark kwa kgaolong e ga jaana eleng bogare jwa Sandton. Mo boammaruring, molatswana o o tsamayang go kgabaganya lefelo-boikhutso le le tala mo bogareng jwa kgaolo-kgwebo bogareng ya Johannesburg o bua ka ‘Silver Stream’ leina la polase ya thuntshwane le bokhenelo e e neng e atlegile ka dingwaga tsa bo-1950 le bo-1960. E ne morago ya rekisetswa Tiger Brands mme morago ya rekisetswa Tongaat Mushrooms e ka nako eo e neng e setse e le karolo ya Denny Mushrooms.
South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA) e tlhomilwe ka 1984 mme e dirisetsa dituêlô tsa boloko go dira dipatlisiso le go bapatsa.
Translated by Nchema Rapoo