Chestnut growers in north-eastern Portugal have seen their crops continually fail in recent years, due to a combination of drought/ climate change and fungus (septoria, prompted by the much warmer temperatures). This season’s production falls could reach 70%-80%. The farmers stress they don’t have “wine, olive oil or almonds, we live off chestnuts”. The situation is nothing short of disastrous, with the local mayor approaching the government to try and find some kind of solutions for the growing social consequences.
