The hazelnut harvest in Turkey, the world's top producer, is estimated to decline by roughly 100,000 tons this year when compared to a year ago, an agricultural union said on Wednesday.

Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers (TZOB) President Şemsi Bayraktar said his union estimates a total hazelnut harvest of 371,185 tons this year. This estimate is 100,000 less than the figures predicted by TZOB for 2013, with the decline mostly due to unfavorable weather conditions in the leading hazelnut-producing provinces in Turkey this year. The Black Sea provinces of Sakarya, Ordu and Samsun are the top three hazelnut producers in Turkey and these regions are anticipated to suffer heavy losses in their harvests due to a frost that hit the area in March.

The government's estimate for this year's hazelnut crop is 388,139 tons. Stressing that the TZOB's predictions overlap with the overall market expectations, Bayraktar said on Wednesday that the government needs to introduce measures to boost productivity in hazelnut fields.

“The hazelnut harvest per decare [1,000 square meters] in Turkey is far below the global average. Figures from the FAO [UN Food and Agricultural Organization] shows that the global average is 143 kilograms but Turkey will see only 54 kilograms this year,” Bayraktar noted. One critical factor is that the poor harvest will also hit Turkey's hazelnut exports this year, the TZOB head said, adding that the average annual hazelnut production for a favorable export revenue for Turkey is 600,000 tons.

Source - http://www.todayszaman.com/