Mentha piperita : Energy and Economic Aspects
This study analyzes the energy and economic sustainability of the production of Mentha × piperita L. var. officinalis Sole f. rubescens Camus, also known as Mentha Italo-Mitcham (Black Mint or English peppermint) to equip farmers and processors with better information for market pricing. As background, we describe its principal production process from transplantation to essential oil. Afterward, the focus is on the economic sustainability based on detailed costs and profitability analysis of the energy consumed during crop production. Economic data from 2015 were collected directly from several farms in one of Italy’s areas of traditional cultivation (Pancalieri and its surroundings, Piedmont Region), while the energy data were sourced from a combination of farm data and ‘standardized’ measures. These early results show that the production of mint from Pancalieri is profitable, which likely results from its few and relatively low energy input activities required during its cultivation cycle.