A Bumper Crop Blessed by the Skies, but What Lies Ahead for Sweet "K-Chestnut"?

As brown-tinted chestnut burrs gather along the slopes, harvesting is in full swing.

Thanks to abundant sunlight and moderate rainfall, high-quality chestnuts have grown in abundance this year.

Despite this bumper crop, however, chestnut production has been declining year after year.

Domestic chestnut production, which reached 55,000 tons 10 years ago, dropped to 39,000 tons last year.

This is because a chronic labor shortage caused by the aging of rural communities is shaking the production foundation.

[Cho Jwa-yeon / President, Korea Chestnut Growers Association : Given the reality where we have to pay about 150,000 won (for a foreign worker's daily wage), chestnut-growing farm households are struggling even more due to rising labor costs.]

This is why the chestnut industry is turning its attention away from selling raw chestnuts and whole products toward processing-focused premiumization.

With the rising consumption of processed chestnut products—ranging from flavored peeled chestnuts to "chestnut yokan," which has regained attention through a hit song—about 40% of domestically produced chestnuts are now used as ingredients for processed foods.

Recently, they have been moving beyond the domestic market to target overseas markets.

The plan is to proactively build self-sufficiency through the "evolution of chestnuts" as agricultural market openings, such as FTAs, expand.

[Kang Shin-hwang / CEO of a Processed Chestnut Company : We have introduced them by participating in food exhibitions such as Japan's FOODEX, and we are actively (discussing) with convenience stores like 7-Eleven.]

Although processed chestnut exports stand at around 360 tons, accounting for only about 9% of total chestnut exports, they are evaluated as having sufficient growth potential.

Compared to foreign chestnuts, they are larger in size, boast superior texture and flavor, and have high competitiveness as a processed food due to their low fat content and richness in potassium and dietary fiber.

[Kang Kyoung-sim / Professor, Department of Food Service Industry, Kongju National University : They have a low fat content, are rich in complex polysaccharides and dietary fiber, and have high contents of vitamin C and potassium.]

Amid the crisis of declining production, attention is focused on whether our chestnuts, finding breakthroughs through processing and export, can leap forward into "K-food" that captivates the palates of people worldwide.

"Likely to Appeal Overseas"... The Sweet Challenge of "K-Chestnuts" (Oct. 14, 2026, 12:00 News)

(Reported by Kim Chul-jin, TJB | Produced by Bae Jun-hwi | Filmed by Sung Nak-jung, TJB, Kim Sung-soo, TJB, Yoon Sang-hoon, TJB | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.