Türkiye's Competitive Power in the World Hazelnut Market

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the competitiveness of Turkiye, the world's largest hazelnut producer and exporter. The research data consist of a time series covering the years 1961-2021 for variables related to hazelnut production and trade. The data of the study were obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The competitiveness of the Turkish hazelnut sector, the Balassa index, was estimated by taking into account producer prices and export prices. Revealed comparative advantage (RCA) results showed that although the competitiveness of Turkiye's hazelnut sector tends to decline in international markets, it still maintains its competitiveness over countries other than Georgia and Azerbaijan. Turkiye's hazelnut producer and export prices are the second highest in the world after Italy. In order for Turkiye to increase and maintain its competitiveness in international hazelnut markets, it is necessary to increase yield and quality in production, concentrate on high value-added products in exports and diversify the market.