80 per cent of the world’s hazelnuts come from Turkey. Unfortunately, Turkish hazelnuts pose the risk of child labour in the harvesting process. In order to reduce social risks, HALBA sources exclusively Rainforest Alliance certified hazelnuts from Turkey. Alternative countries to Turkey currently lack a sufficient professional processing structure in order to produce the required quantities of hazelnuts according to the desired Bio Suisse certified quality. HALBA therefore plans to establish a sustainable value chain for hazelnuts in other countries in Southeastern Europe. This will enable greater transparency, greater procurement security and reduce the risk of abusive child labour.
In Nelkoski Organic Food, HALBA has found a promising new partner in North Macedonia: Nelkoski Organic Food now produces exclusively organic and is the first Bio-Suisse-certified hazelnut producer in the country. The quantities of organic hazelnuts available from Nelkoski Organic Food are currently still quite small. In order to increase cultivation volumes, competitiveness and profitability, the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Coop Fund for Sustainability and HALBA are co-financing investments in better plant material and the mechanization of field work and processing.
The introduction of dynamic agroforestry (DAF) into hazelnut cultivation as a new project component is being evaluated. To this end, pilot plots of hazelnut shrubs are combined with other plants, such as fruit trees, berries or herbs. This mixed cultivation boosts biodiversity and it is expected that it will reduce pest susceptibility and enhance soil fertility, thereby improving productivity.
