Professor Carlo Pirazzoli during the Eurocasta convention
"Traditional groves include approximately 80-100 plants per hectare. Modern ones include 90-170 plants of the European type or 140-200 plants/ha of the Euro-Japanese type." Planting and growing costs over 5 years amount to €12,843/ha in total (e.g. for a grove in Piedmont). Costs are relatively low because the hours dedicated to the crop are not many if compared to other specialised orchards.
The hourly profit for a producer growing chestnuts in Castel del Rio (Bologna) is rather surprising. Calculating 8 tons per hectare at €3/kg, producers receive an hourly remuneration of between €10.50 and €14. Compare that with peaches (max €5.08/hour), Abate pears (€4.86-16.83/hour) or green kiwis (€0.22-11.07/hour).
"Specialised chestnut groves can be very profitable, but only under certain conditions. Growers need to be professionals working on suitable soils and dedicating a lot of attention to agronomic and phytosanitary management. The chestnut market can still grow, but we also need to keep in mind that an increase in supply may lead to a drop in prices."
However, if we consider that Italy imports between 30 and 60% of the chestnuts it consumes, there is still room to grow. The economic results of specialised crops would be excellent at the current prices, but what counts is increasing the yields.