White Truffle Prices Jump 30% as Drought Shrinks Italian and Croatian Harvests

Truffle prices in the market at Alba, Italy, are running 20% to 30% higher than last year, according to Axel Iberti, president of the International White Truffle Fair. The spike follows a season marked by smaller specimens and tighter supply, a trend that mirrors reports from hunters and scientists across the Adriatic.

The International White Truffle Fair, one of Italy's most prominent food events, opened on Oct. 10 and runs through Dec. 6. While demand from hotels and visitors remains high, the biological reality on the ground has changed. Antonio Degiacomi, president of Italy’s National Centre for Truffle Studies, noted that the lack of rain in July and August, combined with high temperatures, resulted in poor production and reduced shelf life for the fungi this month.

Degiacomi explained that dry, compacted soils have produced smaller truffles. He said the current situation stands out against a five or six year trend of hotter summers and erratic rainfall. "This year certainly stands out from a trend we all know has been going on for five or six years now," Degiacomi said. Despite the challenges, he rejected the idea of extinction, describing the situation as a challenge rather than a collapse.

Across the border in Croatia, the data shows a similar decline. Petar Alebic, a truffle hunter in the oak forests outside Zagreb, estimates this year's harvest is about 30% below normal. He has been seeing worsening conditions for seven or eight years, forcing him to supplement his income with tourist tours. "Each year for the past seven or eight years has been worse than the last," Alebic said. "Due to the drought, unfortunately, truffles are becoming smaller and scarcer."

Scientific data supports these observations. Armin Mesic, a mycologist at the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, stated that drought and high temperatures impact both the quantity and quality of truffles. Croatia is home to about a dozen truffle species, with the white truffle commanding up to 4,000 euros, or $4,500, per kilogram. Mesic noted that the geographical area where these white truffles grow is shrinking.

In response, local stakeholders are moving beyond traditional hunting. Iberti has expanded the fair's focus to include environmental education and conservation. Communities in Alba and the Langhe hills are working with municipalities to create new public truffle grounds and plant trees that can support future growth. Iberti described the forest as an act of love and faith for the next two or three generations.

Experts note that reforestation can lower soil temperatures and retain moisture, but the process is slow. It can take more than a decade for newly planted trees to become suitable hosts for truffles. Researchers are also studying soil microorganisms and testing tree varieties that can withstand hotter, drier conditions. While commercial cultivation of white truffles remains elusive, the industry is investing in adaptation strategies to protect the ancient partnership between hunters, dogs, and forests.

For now, the hunt continues in the hills around Alba. Tino Marolo, a local hunter, said uncertainty is part of the job. "You certainly come home empty-handed more often than you do with a truffle," Marolo said. "It’s really the thrill of saying: I don’t know what I’m going to find."