Spain: The hazelnut production in Catalonia can reach 7,000 tons

The production of in-shell hazelnuts in Catalonia could reach 7,000 tons for the 2022-23 campaign, which would be 39% higher than last year (5,044 tons), which was similar to the previous year (5,587 tons). The three harvests would be very far from the 12,371 tons of shell hazelnuts of the 2019-2020 campaign, and the last two were even well below 50% of the productive potential of Catalonia, according to data from the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Catalonia (FCAC). Josep Pere Colat, head of dried fruit at the FCAC, warns that "the two previous seasons we had pollination problems as episodes of rainfall and fog coincided. This year, production in the mountain areas has been greatly affected by the April frosts. In the plain areas, an excessively hot and long summer, with extreme temperatures from May to September, together with the lack of rainfall, have harmed the plant and the fruit. In hazelnuts, climate change is already a reality that worries us and it is evident ...