The marketing of chestnuts is not kicking off as expected, even though it recently gave some signs of making a comeback. A wholesale operator explains to FreshPlaza that, “during October, the high temperatures did not facilitate consumption. Chestnuts are a typical fall produce, they are related to the winter months, in our imaginations. We cannot say that it is what we got in the past few weeks”.
Indeed, the temperatures have dropped only in the last 7-10 days. Therefore, consumption started slightly to increase. In this period, the produce can come either from Italy or Spain.
The operator, “Prices vary according to the quality. They can go from 2.80 to 7 euros/kg. Size and origin greatly affect that. Our consumers prefer chestnuts of a bigger size”.
The operator utilizes a very precise processing line for the calibration of the produce. The selection gets rid of those chestnuts affected by the Cydia. From a production standpoint, the Chinese chestnut wasp has caused production drops in the past. However, production went back to normal thanks to the launch of the antagonist bug (Torymus sinensis).