80 % 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 full transparency and 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 Coop Fund for Sustainability and HALBA are co-financing investments in better planting material and the mechanisation of fieldwork and processing. Targeted investments (such as in the installation of a solar-powered automated irrigation facility) reduce working hours in the field while maintaining or increasing yields, making the cultivation of hazelnuts more attractive for small-scale producers.
As an additional project component, the introduction of dynamic agroforestry (DAF) in hazelnut cultivation is being evaluated and implemented. 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.
