Fresh Point Magazine - B2B24 - Il Sole 24 Ore

around 20,000 tons. What is expected for this year?
“The good weather we had in spring encouraged the
setting and the development of the fruit. It could be
an excellent year, both in terms of both quantity and
quality if it were not for attacks from traditional phytophages
- tortrix moths and chestnut weevil – which
on average strike 30% of the crop. This is compounded
by the damage caused by the chestnut gall wasp
(Dryocosmus kuriphilus), which is expected to cause
a further decrease in production in the order of 10% -
20%. In short, it should be a fairly good year with production
on more or less the same levels in terms of
quantity as last year.
What are the main sources of uncertainty on the
national and international markets?
“Our product is facing growing competition from the
increasing quantities of castanea mollissima from
China, Korea and other Asian countries which are
appearing on domestic and European markets. The
problem is exacerbated by the fact that it seems
that some batches of “mollissima” chestnuts produced
in countries outside Europe arrive in Europe
by way of Turkey, where they are fraudulently disguised
as a European product. In recent months the
Ministry of Agriculture has launched a roundtable
discussion with a pool of experts in order to submit
this problem for examination in Brussels.
Meanwhile, the Ministry plans to create a brand for
the Italian chestnut in order to defend consumers,
roni è stata stimata intorno alle 50.000 tonnellate e
l’export si è attestato intorno alle 20.000 tonnellate.
Cosa ci si aspetta per l’anno in corso?
«Il buon andamento del clima primaverile estivo ha favorito
l’allegagione e anche lo sviluppo dei frutti. Potrebbe
essere un’ottima annata, sia in termini di qualità che di
quantità se non ci fossero le incidenze dei fitofagi tradizionali,
Cydia e Balanino, che mediamente incidono sul
30% della produzione. A questi si somma il danno provocato
dal Cinipide galligeno, che si stima possa provocare
un ulteriore decremento produttivo del 10-20%.
Insomma, un’annata discreta che si posizionerà grossomodo
sugli stessi quantitativi dell’anno passato».
Quali sono le maggiori incognite del mercato nazionale
e internazionale?
«Sui mercati nazionali ed europei sono sempre più pre-
Product/chestnut
Prodotto/castagna