Free of charge

Hazelnuts: Count the chicken after they are hatched

September 7, 2017 at 9:34 AM , Starry Night Ltd.
Play report as audio

Overall, this year’s output will be higher than that of last season. Yet, at the beginning of harvest, some farmers did hope for more.

SOFIA. At the beginning of harvest, prospects seemed quite encouraging. Weather conditions throughout the country had been favorable, with the exceptions of some parts in the Southeast region where frost fell during May and damaged the crop. However, owners of smaller orchards throughout the country, who are in the midst of collecting the nut, are finding out that their earlier expectations might have been too optimistic.

Hazelnuts: do not count the chicken before they are hatched

For those owners of orchards, who saw their crop damaged because of unexpected frosts in May, the result has been long accepted and defeat from natural conditions declared. However, farmers throughout the general North regions and the Central South enjoyed favorable weather conditions earlier in the year, and as a result, they expected to collect higher outputs. Some of them are already doing so and by the end of harvest – depending on the region, sometime in the middle of October – they will have a multifold collected crops – usually in the Northeast and central North regions of the country. However, farmers, whose orchards are situated in the Central South regions of the country, are already complaining of a weaker than expected harvest.

In Bulgaria, the majority of farms are usually family-owned, starting from a few hectares and enlarging them as time progresses. As a consequence, it will take quite a time before such farms could produce substantial quantities of kernels for larger exports. As a result, quantities supplied every year are small – indeed those of organic kernels – and the local market takes it all. Prices are expected to start high earlier in the season!

View related articles

Go to the News Overview
Nuts
Jun 16, 2026
MANILA. Although domestic prices are falling, Philippine suppliers have not yet reduced their export prices for desiccated coconuts. Factors such as the damage caused by the severe earthquake and high logistics costs are also weighing on the market. Particular attention is being paid to weather developments.
Nuts
Jun 16, 2026
FRESNO. US shipments hit a record for pistachios in May as the Administrative Committee for Pistachio’s Industry Inventory Shipment Report outlines. Exports are the main driver of growth this year. Prospects are, however, far less encouraging in 2026/2027.
Nuts
Jun 15, 2026
NEW DELHI. In Vietnam, there is a disjoint between raw cashew nut and cashew kernel prices. Supplies are limited in Benin. Quality is a worry in Burkina Faso. India’s trade with the EU is far from balanced.
Nuts
Jun 15, 2026
NEW DELHI. There are many indications that peanut prices in India will fall in the coming weeks. These include high government stocks, expectations of a significantly larger crop, and weak international vegetable oil markets.