BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 12
By Nazrin Israfilova - Trend:
Azerbaijani exporters of hazelnut intend to focus on the European (EU) market in 2022 since about 80 percent of the total world volume of hazelnuts are mostly processed there, Ismayil Orujov, chairman of the country’s Hazelnut Producers and Exporters Association, told Trend.
According to him, one of the main goals of the association in 2021 was to keep Azerbaijan on the third position regarding the export of hazelnuts worldwide.
“The task was complicated by the fact that in other regions of the world the demand for hazelnuts decreased. For example, consumers in Arab and Asian countries prefer almond more,” the chairman said.
He added that the government's measures to promote the products under the "Made in Azerbaijan" brand in the foreign markets also contribute to the increase in the export of hazelnuts.
According to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, within January through November 2021, the country exported 16,950 tons of hazelnuts in the total amount of nearly $97.47 million. On annual basis, the export of Azerbaijani hazelnuts decreased by 5.6 percent or $5.81 million in monetary terms. The share of hazelnuts in non-oil exports over the year decreased from 6.3 to 4.13 percent.