Around 70 per cent of the world’s hazelnut crop is grown near Turkey’s Black Sea coast, but this year’s harvest is likely to be heavily hit after hail storms and frost in late March devastated hazel flowers at an important time in their growing cycle. The price of the nut has subsequently already skyrocketed by more than 60 per cent.
Already faced with the rising price of cocoa, chocolatiers must now contend with the cost of the nuts reaching $10,500 (£6,300) per tonne, compared with $6,500 (£3,900) per tonne in February, according to Michael Stevens, a trader at Edinburgh-based Freeworld Trading, the Guardian reported. Original article on The Independent
