Hazelnut production in Turkey facts for kids
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Turkey is super important for hazelnuts! It grows and processes most of the world's hazelnuts. In fact, Turkey produces about 70 to 80% of all the hazelnuts grown globally. That's a huge share!
Contents
Where Hazelnuts Grow in Turkey
A Long History of Hazelnuts
People have been growing hazelnuts in Turkey for a very long time. Records show that hazelnuts were grown in the Black Sea Region as far back as 1500 BC! That's over 3,500 years ago. A famous Turkish traveler named Evliya Çelebi even wrote about hazelnut farms in the 1650s, during the time of the Ottoman Empire.
Top Hazelnut Provinces
Most of Turkey's hazelnut farms are found in the Black Sea Region. This area stretches between cities like Trabzon and Kocaeli. The main places where hazelnuts are grown are the provinces of Ordu, Samsun, and Giresun. Some areas like Sakarya and Düzce are also very good at growing hazelnuts. For example, in Ordu province alone, farmers harvested a massive 200,000 tons of hazelnuts in 2017!
Growing Hazelnuts
Special Hazelnut Trees
Farmers grow several traditional types of hazelnut trees, which are called cultivars. Some popular ones are Tombul, Çakıldak, Foşa, and Sivri. Since 2012, new types of hazelnut trees have been developed that ripen even faster.
Fair Farming for Everyone
Hazelnut farms are very common in Turkey, and about 400,000 families own an orchard. Big companies that buy hazelnuts, like Ferrero (who makes Nutella), Balsu, and Olam International, are working hard to make sure that children are not employed to harvest hazelnuts. Since 2012, Ferrero has had a "Farming Values Programme" to help with this. These companies, along with Nestlé and the Turkish Government, are working together to ensure fair practices on the farms.
Turkey's Big Hazelnut Business
Hazelnut production in Turkey has grown steadily since 1964. That year, a law called "Guarantee of Purchase" was introduced. This law made it easier for farmers in the Black Sea region to sell their hazelnuts. Because of this, many farmers started growing hazelnuts. This helped Turkey become the most important hazelnut producer in the world. Today, Turkey exports its delicious hazelnuts to more than 100 countries!
