Illustrative Financial Return 

This will vary from grower to grower and site to site depending on a range of factors including:

• Topography and soil type - influencing amount of preparation and irrigation required, and rate of fungal growth.
• What use can be made of existing infrastructure eg. if a client has a suitable pump or water source, the investment cost in irrigation per hectare will be lower than if they are starting with nothing.
• Scale of operations.
• Lag time between investment and planting, and harvesting of truffles in good quantities.

However assuming you are starting from scratch, here is an illustrative guide of the likely investment per hectare to establish your trufferie;

• Irrigation $8000
• Lime and soil rectification $1500
• Soil preparation $400
• Planting and tree guards $1200
• 400 trees per hectare @$25 = $10,000
• Grass seed $220

Total $21,320 A large proportion of these costs may be Tax deductible, but you should seek guidance from your financial advisor first. 

Annual management
Growers have the opportunity for each of the first 5-6 years to harvest the grass from between the rows and make a significant contribution to your annual management costs. Some mowing, spraying and pruning will be necessary depending upon weed species present and tree growth. 

Estimated annual revenues 
Experience from Tasmania has shown that truffles may start to be found in year four with some reliability. However for budget purposes we would strongly advise working on conservative assumptions and budget on first finding truffles in years six to seven. Based on this assumption and given good management of the plantation you could expect to find 2-4 kg per hectare in years six to seven and increasing eventually to 40-60kg per hectare annually. There is an example of a plantation in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand achieving over 200kg per hectare annually but this is an unusually high yield. 

WARNING
The information provided on this site is a guide only to all readers outlining the basics of growing and cultivation of truffles only. We recommend that before risking capital all readers should seek their own independent expert agronomic and financial advice applicable to their geographic region. Please ensure that you understand the risks associated with the growing and harvesting of truffles before risking your capital. Investing in the cultivation and harvesting of truffles can result in financial loss. Historical results are no guarantee of future returns. Particular geographical characteristics can vary greatly and have significant impact upon the growth and yield of truffles.