- Chestnut trees across mountainous and semi-mountainous Chania—including Ennia Choria, Palaia Roumata, Selino, and Kydonia—are drying up due to ink disease (Phytophthora) and chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica).
- Alekos Marinakis, head of Laiki Syspeirosi Crete, filed a formal question to Regional Vice Governor for Agricultural Economy Stavros Tzedakis, demanding immediate intervention.
- Chestnut growers face severe income destruction as thousands of trees die, threatening the extinction of Crete’s heritage chestnut variety.
- The motion calls for state-funded scientific intervention, certified pathogen-free nurseries, hiring of regional agronomists/phytopathologists, and ELGA compensation coverage for disease losses.
In the mountain and semi-mountainous areas of Chania, chestnut trees are disappearing by the thousands, raising concerns over the future of one of Crete’s traditional crops and a distinctive local variety.
The warning has reached the Regional Council of Crete, where Alekos Marinakis, head of the Laiki Sispirosi faction, has asked Regional Deputy Governor for Agricultural Economy Stavros Tzedakis what measures are being taken to protect chestnut cultivation in Chania.
The areas affected include Ennia Choria, Palaia Roumata, Selino and Kydonia, where chestnut growers are reporting extensive damage to their orchards and forests.
Diseases including chestnut ink disease and chestnut blight have affected the trees, with thousands reportedly drying out and production suffering significant losses.
The traditional Cretan chestnut variety has supported rural households in Chania for generations, providing an important source of income in communities where agriculture remains closely tied to the local economy. Its disappearance would therefore mean losing not only trees and production, but also part of the agricultural heritage of western Crete.
The scale of the problem is particularly significant because chestnut cultivation is deeply rooted in the upland communities of Chania.
If the decline continues, growers could face not only reduced annual production but also the gradual loss of the local genetic material needed to preserve the traditional variety.
Marinakis is asking the regional authorities to provide details on what measures have already been taken, as well as whether there is a concrete plan to seek government support for protecting the trees and maintaining chestnut cultivation:
“As the “People’s Rally” of Crete, we consider it an urgent necessity for the state to implement and fund all necessary actions—measures to protect the cultivation and local variety of chestnut trees in the Prefecture of Chania.”
The motion outlines key demands for the Ministry of Agricultural Development and the Region of Crete:
- Scientific restoration plan: Partner directly with agricultural research institutes and universities to propagate certified, pathogen-resistant local nursery stock and establish irrigation support.
- Staffing regional services: Fill persistent vacancies for agronomists, plant pathologists, and field technicians within regional agricultural directorates to assist farmers directly on-site.
- Research funding: Increase state funding for national Agricultural Research Institutes to develop organic and chemical treatments for ink disease and blight.
- ELGA reform: Expand ELGA state agricultural insurance rules to cover crop losses and tree mortality caused by systemic plant diseases, rather than limiting coverage to weather events.
The regional administration has been formally requested to table data within statutory deadlines detailing what specific protective actions have been taken so far and what funding framework is being claimed from central government to save Chania’s chestnut forests.
