The regulatory board of the the Protected Geographical Indication for chestnuts from Galicia estimated, about a month before the harvest starts in most regions of the area, that this year's harvest would be really good and could be higher than 20,000 tons, if there were no last minute unexpected events.
Speaking to EFE, the chairman of the regulatory board, Jesus Quintás, said that "after a difficult summer with cold showers that improved the bloom, the rainfall in late August and September contributed to the fruit's development and growth."
This, coupled with the increase in labour for the collection of chestnuts, has led the regulatory board to predict that this year's harvest would surpass the 20,000 tons.
"The high price of this product and the crisis in other sectors," said Quintas, "has driven many people to harvest chestnuts, to the point that it has become a very important complement for the income of many families that live from agriculture and livestock, because they can pay their expenses by selling this fruit."
However, Quintás recognized, the great challenge is to ensure that there are more farmers engaged in the cultivation of chestnuts as a core activity, as in other countries of the European Union.
In fact, even though the Chestnut volume certified by the regulatory board continues to grow year after year, it is still of about 200 tons and there are only over a hundred producers registered in the official record of the IGP.
Source: La Opinión de Galicia