Italy and Germany are the main export markets for hazelnuts from Azerbaijan to Europe, Chairman of the Association of Hazelnut Producers and Exporters of Azerbaijan, Ismayil Orujov told.
According to him, Italy and Germany seek to increase hazelnut imports from Azerbaijan: "But our manufacturing capabilities are limited. Today, Italy and Germany import an average of 8,000-12,000 tons of hazelnuts. I suppose that the export to the European markets will be carried out by the end of the month."
Russia is one of the traditional markets and the most profitable in terms of prices, Orujov added.
He noted that cold weather in April affected productivity this year: "While earlier Azerbaijan exported 20,000-21,000 tons of hazelnuts on average, this year we expect to supply about 17,000-18,000 tons."
In the first quarter of the year, Azerbaijan exported 7,060 tons of peeled hazelnuts to 12 countries, which is 57% more than the same period in 2018.
Hazelnuts are exported to Russia (3,213.8 tons), Italy (1,710 tons) and Germany (1,447.2 tons), Poland (146 tons), Estonia (88 tons), Lithuania (87 tons), France (80 tons), Georgia (80 tons) and other countries.