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Bulgarian hazelnuts: a weak year, small quantities

February 7, 2017 at 9:56 PM , Starry Night Ltd.
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The future could hold better prospects

Hazelnuts: more cultivated land, better prospects

SOFIA. The hazelnut has never been so widely popular as the walnut. Only in the last several years, farmers have decided to grow larger areas of the crop. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, from all other nuts that are cultivated in the country, hazelnuts recorded the highest relative, but not absolute, increase in output between season 2014-15 (165 mt) and season 2015-16 (361 mt). During 2014, 419 ha were harvested, having an average yield of 394kg/ha while in 2015, 496 ha were harvested, with an average yield of 728 kg/ha. According to farmers, this season’s good marketable harvest was no more than 100 mt.

Brighter future

Government data shows that more and more arable plots are being allocated for cultivating hazelnuts. This year, on a few occasions organic hazelnut prices toppled those of organic almonds. The reason - weaker harvest and short supplies of high quality kernels. In addition, locally produced hazelnuts could not match domestic demand, and the market is overflown by Turkish imports. Local competitors advise to be careful of imports since the crop could be a mixture of season 2016 and that of 2015.

According to farmers, more hazelnut land will get into regulation this year, which will have an impact on quantities produced, provided the weather is favorable. Prices are expected to remain stable.

Organic hazelnuts, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

in shell

5,40

natural kernels 9-11

10,00

natural kernels 11-13

10,00

natural kernels 13-15

10,00

hazelnut paste

13,80

roasted kernels 13-15

13,00

EXW Bulgaria

   

 Hazelnuts, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

in shell

3,00

natural kernels 9-11

7,70

natural kernels 11-13

7,70

natural kernels 13-15

7,70

hazelnut paste

12,35

roasted kernels 13-15

10,00

EXW Bulgaria

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