That's Why We Lost Product Last Year in Türkiye

A hazelnut harvest festival was held in Düzce, Turkey, where officials set a production target of 103,000 tons for this year's crop. The event took place in the Mahirağa neighborhood of the Çilimli district, drawing local officials and farmers. Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Director Esra Uzun said last year's production reached 53,000 tons across 631,000 decares of land.

"We experienced a frost event across the country, and our province was affected. That's why we lost product last year. But this year is very bountiful — a good year for both hazelnuts and yield, she said.

Düzce Deputy Ayşe Keşir noted the province ranks among Turkey's leading hazelnut producers. "As the child of a hazelnut-growing family, our hazelnut is our green gold. It's the city's number one agricultural product.

Since becoming a deputy, we've done everything we can regarding hazelnuts. For the past two years, we couldn't get the desired yield due to frost, stink bugs, and blight. Last year we stayed at 53,000 tons.

But we're a city that has exceeded 90,000 tons. We're the 5th largest producer in Turkey, she said. Governor Mehmet Makas said the target for this year is 103,000 tons.

Fifty-three percent of Düzce is covered by forests, and 30 percent is agricultural land, with hazelnuts as the biggest crop. Düzce has previously produced 95,000 tons and ranked 3rd in Turkey. Last year, due to frost and other factors, we stayed at 53,000 tons and fell to 5th place.

Based on our agriculture directorate's work and data from farmers, we expect around 102-103,000 tons this year. We're aiming to rank high in Turkey again, he said. The festival was held in Çilimli's Mahirağa neighborhood, with Governor Makas, Deputy Keşir, Çilimli Mayor Yılmaz Yıldız, protocol members, and farmers in attendance. Makas confirmed the 103,000-ton yield expectation for Düzce's hazelnut crop.