Increased hazelnut production deal signed between Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey
By Mariam Chanishvili
Tuesday, August 13
Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey have decided to improve the quality and increase the production of hazelnuts. The information was spread by the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture.
A declaration on strategic cooperation was signed by the three countries in Turkey, the goal of which is to increase the quality and production of hazelnuts. The goal of the declaration is also to provide for technical cooperation.
It is noteworthy that hazelnuts are one of the most important export products for Georgia.
In Georgian culture, hazelnut was known from time immemorial. Historical evidence suggests that in VI. B.C. the local population in their gardens grew wild forms of hazelnut. The forest nut, cultivated on the territory of Georgia, contains much less pollution than permitted strict international sanitary standards.
According to GEONUTS, native grades in Georgia have a number of advantages, including powerful root system of local varieties of hazelnut in sufficient quantities draws all the necessary components from the soil, and therefore, in Georgia, are almost not applied chemical fertilizers, local varieties almost do not suffer from various diseases, and therefore in Georgia practically does not use pesticides.
For Georgia, hazelnuts had a high economic value and brought a lot of income to the population before the revolution of 1917. Georgia in large quantities exported hazelnuts in the EU countries, by hazelnut plantations was occupied 8-10 times more territory than in Soviet times.
The situation began to change only in the 1990s when in coastal areas of Western Georgia began the rapid creation of new plantations and modern processing facilities.
The hazelnut harvest is mainly taking place in Western regions of Georgia, including Samegrelo, Guria, Adjara, and Imereti.
This year Georgia expects more than 40,000 tons of hazelnut harvest. Due to various diseases affecting crops and an infestation of the brown marmorated bug, last year Georgian farmers harvested just 17,000 tons of hazelnuts.
