Farmers confront Italian group Ferrero in Turkish hazelnut fields

As far as the eye can see, hazelnut trees spread their slightly reddened leaves in early fall. But under its damp foliage, anger grows against the Italian group Ferrero, the giant of spreading chocolate and bonbons.

Hazelnut growers from Turkey, the world’s leading exporter, denounce the interference in their harvest by this firm that owns the Nutella, Kinder or Ferrero Rocher brands, which they accuse of breaking prices.

“They have a monopoly, their hands are free. But they buy even cheaper than last year. This year, I won’t sell them anything, ”warns 43-year-old Aydin Simsek, who checks the dozen Turkish pickers squatting and filling their large cloth sacks with hazelnuts.

Wrapped in her thick jacket and flowered shawl, Serife Koyu spends a dozen hours every day in Akyazi (northeast), kneeling before the trees despite her obvious pregnancy.

The working day is paid at 12 euros (US $ 14) for this woman who arrived with her family from Diyarbakir (southeast) for six weeks of harvest.

For 25-year-old Mehmet Sirin, wearing a hood to protect herself from the drizzle, “it is exploitation.” “Hazelnuts come to us in the form of Nutella but we get much less profit than they do,” he protests. “It’s pure injustice,” he huffs before continuing to work.

According to FAO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture organization, Turkey ensures 70% of world production and 82% of hazelnut exports in the world.

Far is Italy (20%) and some countries that share the crumbs like Azerbaijan, Georgia or Iran.

Buy at $ 2.3 and sell at $ 23

Of the 600,000 or 700,000 tons of hazelnuts harvested, about 300,000 are exported. “How is it that only foreigners make a profit?”, The president of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Omer Demir, is outraged.

“Damned! They buy them from us for 22-23 Turkish lira (US $ 2.3) a kilo and sell them for US $ 23. How did we get there? We have to block their way ”, he asserts.

But the main wholesalers, such as those that supply the Italian group, “leave no choice to the others,” he laments. They pay in advance for the harvest at a price fixed in advance and supply the tools and fertilizers to the premises.

No one can escape. Cabbar Saka recognizes it, he has no choice. “What I can do? I need money for my daughter’s wedding. I have sold my 1,600 kilos of hazelnuts to the wholesaler ”.

In addition, he received all the collection at the time when the Agricultural Office, the public regulator, pays only in installments.

Akyazi district has 5,500 declared producers. In front of the houses, the harvest is dried in the open air on tarps, for just a few days and constantly watching the sky for rain.

“Ferrero and the major market players are pushing prices down,” denounces Sener Bayraktar, president of the local chamber of commerce, who accuses the Italian giant of inflating harvest estimates to influence its price.

“But the fear of the producers is that, if they complain, they will no longer be able to sell. Ferrero has put in place a system that does not give any opportunity ”to local actors, says Bayraktar, who asks the authorities to give more frank support to intermediate intermediaries.

And he calls on the latter to increase their purchase prices to encourage producers to reserve their fruits for them.

“Not at this price”

Asked by the AFP, the Italian giant defends itself: “We do not buy directly from producers, we go through a network of buyers and specialized suppliers respecting the laws of the market and its dynamics,” explains a spokesman from headquarters, who recalls that Ferrero operates in Turkey for over 35 years.

The supply of Turkish raw material is essential for the production of Nutella and Ferrero Rochers.

For this reason, in 2014 he created a local subsidiary, Ferrero Findik (hazelnuts in Turkish), which manages six treatment factories and one for Nutella production.

In 2014, it also bought the king of local hazelnuts, Oltan, thus ensuring control of the market and prices.

To support the 76,500 hazelnut producers, the Ministry of Agriculture encourages them to transform the product themselves instead of just selling the fruit, which would ensure better income.

The year before, Aydin Simsek sold his entire harvest to Ferrero. This year its 15 tons will go to the public Agricultural Office. “When Ferrero acts in good faith, I’ll be happy to eat Nutella. But not at this price, ”he says.