PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF ORGANIC HAZELNUTS: THE CASE OF ´TONDA GENTILE ROMANA´

Organic farming can no longer be considered a niche of the agrifood sector. Organic production has now gained widespread attention and acceptance. In the last ten years the number of organic farms and the area of organically cultivated land have dramatically increased and the market share of organic products has shown a similar trend. Hazelnuts have also experienced this situation and interest in organic hazelnuts has rapidly increased among producers, processing firms and consumers. An analysis of the organic hazelnut sector was carried out with particular reference to the Monti Cimini area. In this area, which accounts for about 4-5% of the world hazelnut production, the share of organically cultivated land is close to 5%. The analysis focused on several different topics: technical and economic aspects at the farm level, industry and market situations, and the evolution of prices. The study shows that, with an integrated and well-managed technique, organic hazelnut production can equal, and even excede, that obtained by applying conventional methods. Furthermore, it has been shown that on average organic hazelnut prices tend to be 15-20% higher than those for conventional products and to remain more stable over time.