Farmers’ approaches and opinions on kiwi fruit as an alternative crop to hazelnut in Turkey: the case of Ordu province

Abstract

Turkey is the most important hazelnut producer in the world. It accounts for 70% of the total world hazelnut production alone, despite decreases in recent years. Hazelnut production is spread across 33 provinces in Turkey, mostly in the Black Sea region. About 395 thousand farm families engage in hazelnut production in about 540 thousand ha.. Hazelnut production is the only source of livelihood for 61% of hazelnut producer families. In hazelnut production Turkey is followed by Italy, the USA, Iran, and China. However none except Italy is a serious competitor for Turkey. Ordu province is the most important production area in Turkey, with a 30% share in total hazelnut production. In Turkey, hazelnut production has been supported since 1962. Nevertheless, governments have taken some political measures to prevent excess production since 1989. In order to balance the supply and demand, establishment of new hazelnut plantations and rehabilitation of old ones have been banned with the Code 2844 issued in 1983. Moreover, farmers have been supported for alternative crops in plain areas since 2003. Kiwi fruit is an alternative crop in the Black Sea region, which offers favorable conditions for its cultivation. However, farmers’ opinions and views on kiwi production are of importance regarding the planning of hazelnut production in this region. In this study, hazelnut producers’ opinions and approaches to kiwi fruit production as an alternative were investigated in order to guide future support policies. Keywords: Kiwi, Production Cost, Behavior of Farmers, Binary Logit