Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8
By Anvar Mammadov – Trend:
Azerbaijan intends to supply hazelnuts to the markets of Africa and Arab countries in 2018, Ismayil Orujov, chairman of Azerbaijan’s Association of Hazelnut Producers and Exporters, told Trend.
In total, Azerbaijan intends to export hazelnuts to 30 countries in 2018, which is much more than the figures in the previous years.
Hazelnuts were supplied from Azerbaijan to 25 countries in 2016 and to 27 countries in 2017.
"We exported over 8,000 tons of hazelnut in January-November 2017," Orujov said. “Most of Azerbaijan’s hazelnuts are exported to Italy, Russia and Germany."
He added that several hazelnut producing and processing enterprises are being built in the country’s Khachmaz and Zagatala districts to expand the export of hazelnuts. The enterprises must be constructed by the end of 2018.
To date, the biggest hazelnut producer in the world is Turkey with a 75 percent share in the global market. Azerbaijan's share in the global hazelnut market is 4 percent. However, according to the foreign media, the country has a great potential for further growth in this field.