In Greece, one of the world’s largest chestnut producers, chestnut yields are expected to see a sharp decline in 2024.
Anestis Altinis, a Greek farmer, says that nuts suitable for harvest are nowhere to be found, as after months of searing heat and drought, most have not ripened, with output in his village expected to drop by 90%.
“I don’t remember this happening before,” said Altinis, a third-generation chestnut producer in Kissos village, in central Greece, to Reuters.
“We have reached almost the end of the harvest season and the chestnuts remain on the trees,” he added.
According to George Nanos, a professor of Pomology at the University of Thessaly, the chestnut harvest in Greece is expected to drop to about 15,000 tons in 2024 due to the extreme weather conditions, which is half the average of the past five years.
As Greece exports most of its chestnuts to Europe and the Balkans, this is set to negatively affect the financial situation of farmers and producers this year.
The drop in production comes after Greece’s warmest winter and summer on record and is the latest sign of the impact of climate change on crops across southern Europe.
Chestnut producers in Thessaly, a region accounting for about a quarter of Greece’s agricultural output, including chestnuts, say some areas haven’t experienced rainfall for 13-months following 2023 the floods.
Nanos claims that this year’s yield is one of the worst ever with very little, or no produce.
What is more, farmers and scientists have reported that Greece’s cherry, apple, and walnut harvests have also suffered significant damage this year, adding to concerns for the nation’s agricultural sector.
This is troubling news for Greece, where agricultural exports make up around 20% of the country’s total exports, and the economy is still in a state of recovery following a long debt crisis.
In a recent report, Greece’s central bank warned that the effects of climate change are expected to drive up crop and fruit prices in the coming years.
The report projected that the economic fallout from climate change could exceed 1% of Greece’s GDP annually, a sharp increase from the 0.2%-0.3% average over the past decade.