Ankara
ANKARA
Turkey, the world's biggest hazelnut supplier, last year earned revenues of nearly $2 billion from exports of the nuts, according to Edip Sevinc, head of the Black Sea Hazelnut and Products Exporters' Association.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency Thursday, Sevinc said last year Turkish exporters earned $1.98 billion from 227,556 tons of hazelnut exports, mainly to Italy, France and Germany, which have robust food industries to process the nuts.
As the value of the Turkish lira recently dropped sharply against the U.S. dollar, making Turkish goods much cheaper for customers abroad, Turkey's revenues from hazelnut exports fell from the previous year, though the export volume did not show a substantial change.
Sevinc said the Turkish hazelnut industry earned around $2.83 billion from hazelnut exports in 2015 from 240,137 tons shipped.
In 2016 Turkey exported 173,770 tons of hazelnuts to EU countries and earned around $1.51 billion, according to Black Sea Exporters' Association data.
More than one-fifth of Turkey's exports were to Italy, with over 51,500 tons worth more than $453.1 million, followed by Germany and France, said the data.
Sevinc said their estimated hazelnut export volume for the season that began last Sept. 1 and ends on Aug. 31 is 220,000 tons.
"Turkey exported 92,792 tons of hazelnut and earned $826 million in the four months since Sept. 1. This indicates that we will reach our expectation of 220,000 tons for the 2016-2017 season."
Turkey accounts for approximately 75 percent of worldwide hazelnut production.
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