Your Levy at Work

Chestnut LEVY

Chestnuts 2021/22
R&D program investment – $ 30,376.00
Marketing program investment – $ 40,950.00

What is the chestnut levy?

The statutory chestnut levy is money gathered from growers across Australia to fund

  • research and development (R&D) projects with the objective to improve growers’ productivity and profitability and ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry
  • marketing activities to promote chestnuts to the consumer
  • biosecurity activities through the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed

A TOTAL of 11 cents per kilogram levy is payable on all commercially grown chestnuts and is collected on a per kilogram basis at the first point of sale on domestic and exported nuts.

The chestnut levy has an

  • R&D component of $0.05 cents with $0.0.5 cents of the R&D levy used to pay for the Plant Health Australia membership, and
  • $0.05 cents for Marketing, and
  • An Emergency Plant Pest Response levy set at $0.01 cent

During 2021/22 your levy helped fund an investment of over $71,000 in chestnut industry R&D and Marketing projects. In addition, the 1 cent Emergency Plant Pest Response levy was used to pay the chestnut industry’s 20% share of the chestnut blight eradication program.

Who manages the chestnut levy?

The levy is collected by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Levies Revenue Department and investment of these R&D and Marketing funds are managed by Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation), a not-for-profit, grower-owned Research and Development Corporation (RDC) for Australia’s $9 billion horticulture industry.

The Emergency Plant Pest Response Levy is managed by Plant Health Australia.

Chestnuts Australia Inc. works with industry to determine the split between Marketing and R&D. The R&D allocation attracts dollar for dollar matching contributions from the Federal Government.

Where is the levy invested?

To help ensure R&D and Marketing investment decisions are prioritised by the needs of the chestnut industry, Hort Innovation has established Strategic Investment Advisory Panels (SIAP’s).