Close monitoring continues on the hazelnut industry

Evaluating their work on the hazelnut market, Küle pointed out that hazelnuts are a strategic value for Türkiye's domestic and foreign trade.

Küle pointed out that Türkiye meets 70 percent of the world's hazelnut production, and said, "Around 400 thousand families, who tend their gardens with great difficulty in the rain and mud, on the steep slopes of the Black Sea, especially in Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon and Düzce, earn their living directly from this product. Hazelnuts mean the bread in our families' homes, their children's school fees and a year's hope. Therefore, beyond its economic dimension, hazelnuts are also our social and human dimension." is our line." he said.

Stating that with this awareness and responsibility, the Institution has always focused on the hazelnut sector with great sensitivity from past to present, Küle emphasized that they are constantly on the field to maintain fair and effective competition in the market.

Küle stated that they do not just expect complaints to come to them in this process, and that they have initiated ex officio sector investigations in order to protect the rights of the producers, and that they keep the market under constant surveillance through various means such as compliance with commitments processes.

Stating that one of the most critical steps they took to prevent the producer from being victimized was the investigation they conducted in 2023-2024 on allegations that Ferrero, which is the largest buyer in the hazelnut purchasing market, abused its power, Küle said:

"In this investigation, we examined Ferrero's behavior in the market in great detail. During the investigation process, Ferrero, which was considered to be in a dominant position in the market, applied for a commitment. As the Competition Board, we came to the conclusion that the commitments in question would eliminate the existing competitive concerns in the market."

Küle reminded that in this context, the relevant commitments presented by the company for the hazelnut purchasing seasons covering the years 2024, 2025 and 2026 were accepted and made binding for Ferrero, and said, "Since then, we have been monitoring all of Ferrero's steps and whether it complies with the commitments. I would like to underline once again for the peace of mind of our producers. We have determined that Ferrero did not comply with the commitments or victimized our farmers by trying to circumvent the commitments." "In this case, very heavy administrative fines will be imposed on the company." made his assessment.

Underlining that they aim to protect the labor of hazelnut producers in every link of the supply chain, Küle stated that after the Ferrero decision, they continue to follow the sector in all its dimensions, from Ordu to Giresun, from Düzce to Trabzon, from the purchase in the village to the factory.

Source: TRT Haber Ekonomi RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)