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Hazelnuts: First prices hit the market

September 13, 2017 at 10:32 AM , Starry Night Ltd.
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Prices started high early in the marketing season. By the end of harvest, buyers should not expect a wide downward swing in prices.

SOFIA. The nut is not as widely grown throughout the country as walnuts are for instance, and every year its price premium keeps high – indeed, prices of organically certified nuts keep all-times high.

Hazelnuts: sector’s situation

The great majority of locally grown hazelnuts are consumed on the local market. The many small family-owned farms could not produce substantial quantities yet to start exporting large volumes to foreign countries. Even if they try to export, they quickly realize that the margin they will realize on the international market is much smaller than what they will do on the local one. Usually, local farmers do not calibrate the nuts and instead sell them in bulk.

Throughout the years, some farmers – those who have substantially invested in the growth of orchards in order to release their produce on the market – have complained that there were orchards that had been cultivated only because of government subsidies, but once planted, the bushes would be left unharvested. Whether that will be a repeat story this year remains to be seen.

In addition, some farmers face difficulties because hazelnut acreages are scattered and not concentrated in separate huge areas. Other orchards are situated in higher altitude places - in the mountains and this increases the operational costs of farmers. However, even though there are many factors that affect the high price of locally grown hazelnuts, the major factor is the low availability on the background of the huge domestic demand throughout the year. As a result, the gap between local demand and local supply is filled in by Turkish imports.

Organic hazelnuts, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

in shell

3,75

natural kernels 9-11

11,22

natural kernels 11-13

11,22

natural kernels 13-15

11,22

EXW Bulgaria
   

 Hazelnuts, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

in shell

2,68

natural kernels 9-11

8,40

natural kernels 11-13

8,40

natural kernels 13-15

8,40

EXW Bulgaria

 

 

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