Georgia expects plentiful, high quality hazelnut harvest in 2019

Georgia is getting ready for a rich and high quality hazelnut harvest season during which thousands of tonnes of hazelnuts will be picked and sold locally or exported.

This year more than 40,000 tonnes of hazelnut are expected to be harvested, while last year Georgian farmers picked just 17,000 tonnes of hazelnut.

Executive Director of Georgian Hazelnut Growers Association Giorgi Todua told Agenda.ge that the harvest will start in about two weeks and will last until the end of August. 

Todua said that most of the harvested hazelnuts will be exported to European markets as the “demand is very high for Georgian hazelnuts there”.

Hazelnut harvest will take place in the Georgian regions of Samegrelo, Guria, Adjara and Imereti.

Georgian Hazelnut Growers Association and the National Food Agency of Georgia discussed the implementation process of the Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project. Photo: National Food Agency.

Todua said that this year farmers are expecting an exceptionally high quality harvest thanks to the Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project that was launched earlier this year.

A little time is left before harvesting, and it is especially important to continue the fight against stink bug and against fungal diseases. I would give three recommendations to the farmers: to spray the hazelnuts one more time before the harvest starts; to timely take the harvest; and to dry the hazelnuts properly”, said Todua.

Georgian Hazelnut Growers Association and the National Food Agency of Georgia discussed the implementation process of the Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project and agreed that the main result is already achieved – the farmers are actively performing hazelnut spraying activities.

So far the association has united about 15,000 farmers in the Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project who get recommendations from the agronomists.  

The Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project is being implemented by the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, USAID, Ferrero and CNFA and aims to increase the sustainable capacity and private sector development of the hazelnut industry in Georgia.

Hazelnuts represent Georgia’s largest agricultural export by value and support the livelihoods of more than 50,000 growers and processors, but due to inconsistent quality and lack of market distinction, Georgian hazelnuts often sell at lower prices. The project aims to transform and streamline the hazelnut value chain to improve the quality of Georgian hazelnuts.