The hazelnut crop in Piedmont is facing yet another year best left forgotten. The harvest began a few days ago, but several producers say the outlook is negative. Lorenzo Brigante owns a farm in Alba, in the province of Cuneo. He is also the new head of the Corilicola Section of the Agrion Foundation.
"The situation is serious," Brigante says. "I'm receiving information from producers all over Piedmont, and the same is true here on my farm. While a good yield used to be around 2-2.5 tons per hectare in the best years, this year's yield will be similar to that of 2024. It is difficult to give exact numbers since we are still in the early stages, but we cannot rule out losses of up to 80% of the harvest."
© Cascina MalcottiCascina Malcotti archive photo
But what caused this? "Up until June, the prospects were excellent," says Brigante. "However, everything plummeted in a matter of weeks, with serious and continuous drops in almost all areas. We saw companies lose more than 70-80% of their money. Under these conditions, generating income is practically impossible, given production costs," he says.
The causes are manifold. Certainly, temperature fluctuations played a decisive role in the decline. We recorded temperatures as low as those in the fall and as high as 38°C, which stressed the plants. Then there were bugs, both Asian and native green ones, which caused further losses. The low level of organic matter in the soil is also a factor that cannot be overlooked."
© Cascina Malcotti
"We have noticed slightly better conditions in hazelnut groves where canopy management has always been carried out regularly and carefully every year," the technician points out. "However, even in these groves, the losses are still considerable."
"In the Alba (Cuneo) area, the Tonda Gentile harvest has just begun, while the Tonda Biglini harvest started a week ago. In Alta Langa, however, we will commence in a week."
Cascina Malcotti, the Brigante family's farm, is equipped for harvesting, cleaning, and processing the product. "We sell the finished product directly and process part of it so that we can sell roasted hazelnuts, flour, and grains to restaurants, hotels, and catering providers. We obtain these from a specialized laboratory," he concludes.
For more information:
Cascina Malcotti
Lorenzo Brigante
Locality Altavilla - Alba, Italy
+39 3662083916
[email protected]
Malcotti Farmstead