Price of autumn favourite shocks Zagreb market goers

Dolac Zagreb (Photo: Fraxinus Croat/C BY-SA 3.0)

As demand rises and local production faces challenges, lovers are of an autumn Croatian favourite are feeling the pinch, with many questioning the reasons behind the steep cost.

The price of chestnuts is skyrocketing, having increased by 60 percent over the past two years, reports Dnevnik Nova TV.

A kilogram of chestnuts now costs eight euros, and that’s for raw chestnuts.

“That’s quite a high price considering you can pick chestnuts near Zagreb. I think everything’s gone up, so chestnuts had to get expensive as well,” said Marica from Zagreb.

“I’m not sure what the season’s like, whether they’re rare this year, which is why they’re expensive, or if it’s just because everything has become more expensive,” wondered Sara from Zagreb.

For sellers, the price is justified, especially for larger chestnuts which they grow themselves.

“They’re difficult to cultivate; it takes at least five or six years for them to grow here. All that requires time, money, and effort, and the seedlings and planting aren’t cheap,” explained Ivica, a market vendor.

Six euros will get you forest chestnuts, which aren’t cultivated but gathered for free. Adili, who has been roasting chestnuts for 50 years, says the price has gone up because the wholesale cost has risen by 30 percent.

“We never used to pick chestnuts ourselves. We had people who brought them down from Sljeme, but now most chestnuts are imported from Spain, Italy, and Turkey,” he said.

Chestnuts

A large serving of roasted chestnuts in the centre of Zagreb can now cost as much as six or even seven euros.

We used to pay 30 kuna for them, which was less than five euros.

In Croatia, large-scale chestnut farming, which could compete with forest chestnuts in terms of price, hasn’t taken off because it’s demanding and difficult, explains Željko Ledinski, president of the Croatian Fruit Growers’ Crisis Task Force.

“Chestnuts begin to bear fruit in their fifth or sixth year. You can’t expect a serious yield before the seventh year. In addition to that, they’re prone to diseases such as chestnut blight and the chestnut gall wasp,” Ledinski told Dnevnik Nova TV.

Chestnuts are healthy, rich in vitamins, boost the immune system, and reduce fat in the blood.

They have many benefits, except for their price. A kilogram of chestnuts is now more expensive than a kilogram of chicken.