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Hazelnuts: Prices are stubbornly high

October 26, 2017 at 11:31 AM , Starry Night Ltd.
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SOFIA. The meager local supply on a yearly basis supports the high price. Local producers compete on quality.

BULGARIA. The majority of local farmers do not calibrate – they sell in mix. A few metric tons per average orchard does not make it worthwhile to calibrate; besides, end clients pay the premium for crispness and delicious taste. The larger ones do, but if compared to foreign farmers, for instance those in Turkey, the local big ones are the regional minor.

Hazelnuts: High prices find support in meager quantities

Organic nuts have recently become the new fad on the market, although their dawn trajectory seems to be far away from reaching a maturity state. Hazelnuts are no exception! According to a recent USD report on Nut Trees Annual, “organic walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and chestnut production [sic] reached 18,484 HA in 2016, a 20-percent increase 2015.”

Locally grown hazelnut orchards are family owned, as the majority produce a few metric tons in shell annually. Major orchard projects are being currently implemented, as substantial increase in yearly production will be realized in the following few years. Usually, farmers cultivate several varieties such as tonda gentile, roman and ran trapezundski hazelnuts.

The supply of locally cultivated hazelnuts on the market is relatively meager to satisfy local demand, and as a result, the market relies on imports, usually from Turkey. Because local quantities produced scratch local demand on an annual basis, prices of Bulgarian grown hazelnuts are higher than those of their imported counterparts, which fill the shelves of big local chains.

Since prices of Bulgarian hazelnuts are too high to enter foreign markets, local farmers sell domestically. Once quantities produced have grown significantly, local farmers will be compelled to lower prices. Till then though, the price premium will be by 2.50 – 3.00 EUR higher in favor of local producers.

Organic hazelnuts, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

in shell

4.00

natural kernels 9-11

11.10

natural kernels 11-13

11.10

natural kernels 13-15

11.10

EXW Bulgaria
   

 Hazelnuts, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

in shell

3.00

natural kernels 9-11

8.16

natural kernels 11-13

8.16

natural kernels 13-15

8.16

EXW Bulgaria

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