Balakan keen to up hazelnut production

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, ranking fourth in the world for hazelnuts exports, is one of the few countries in the world with appropriate weather conditions for hazelnut cultivation.

Hazelnut, a staple in confections and baked goods, is one of the main areas in the agriculture sector providing Azerbaijan with foreign currency. In 2015, the country earned $105 million from the export of hazelnuts.

The country grows 35,000 tons of hazelnut, 90 percent of which is exported. Nearly 25 countries, including Italy, Germany and Russia are the main consumers of Azerbaijani hazelnuts.

Hazelnut grows mostly in the country’s northern regions and is generally ripe by the end of July and harvested from mid-August to mid-September.

Hazelnut growing is considered the main source of income for population in the northwestern region of Azerbaijan, Balakan. The new economic realities and growing state support increased local farmers’ interest in this sector.

Last year 4,000 tons of hazelnut was harvested from the Balakan region. Rural population earned 12 million manats ($7.06 million) from hazelnut production. This year farmers expect to harvest about 5,000 tons of hazelnuts.

Meanwhile, Balakan continues to expand its hazelnut gardens.  Over the past two years the total area of hazelnut gardens in the region was expanded by 2,264 hectares to 7,990 hectares. 

In the coming years, the region plans to increase the area of hazelnut gardens by at least 3,000 hectares through the state support.

In other words, the state delivers the necessary seedlings, organizes irrigation, creates conditions for villagers to take care of these trees in order to further improve their financial situation and supply exportable products that would bring foreign currency.

Hazelnuts are also produced in Baku, Absheron, Ganja-Gazakh, Sheki-Zagatala, Upper Karabakh, Lankaran, Gabala and other regions of the country.

In the coming years the country plans to increase hazelnut gardens from the current 55,000 hectares to 80,000 hectares, as well as expand the geography of hazelnut production, which currently covers 13 regions of the country. The potential of the country is measured by hundreds of thousands of hectares.