2025 is confirmed as a disastrous year for the production of hazelnuts in Italy. According to Italian cia-agricultors, national production will undergo a drop of 60%, further worsening the situation after the reduced reduction in previous years: 102 thousand tons in 2023 and 85 thousand tons last year.
The crisis affects the fundamental ingredient for many Made in Italy confectionery preparations, such as ice cream and spreadable creams, and consequently the companies are alarm.
The crisis of hazelnuts
The serious collapse of production is caused – guess a little – from climate change. The extreme weather events have in fact brought Italian hazelnuts to their knees: too mild winter, violent spring rains, high summer temperatures and June drought compromised the surrender of 95 thousand hectares of hazelnuts, present in Lazio and Campania but concentrated especially in Piedmont.
In July we began to see the empty hazelnuts fall on the ground and compared to a normal yield of 20 quintals per hectare, the collection is stopped at 5 quintals – explains Daniela Ferrando, producer of Alexandria.
Productive problems will have inevitable prices on prices: according to CIA forecasts, the cost of hazelnuts could double compared to last year and the situation represents a very hard blow for farms and for the entire sector. In addition, hazelnut champions from Chile and Oregon seem to be coming, which in the future could compete with national production, further complicating the situation.
To cope with this emergency, Cia urges the urgent convocation of a national supply chain table. Cristiano Fini, president of the association, underlines the importance of dealing with critical issues in an organic way and strengthening investments in research and corporate innovation. Only in this way will it be possible to return competitiveness and perspective to the sector and support Italian farmers.
Declial companies are looking for alternatives
Faced with the scarcity of hazelnuts and the increase in prices, the companies of the confectionery industry are already exploring alternative solutions to reduce the impact of the crisis on production. Among the most considered options are almonds, pistachios and, in some cases, exotic fruit, which can partially replace the hazelnut in sweet recipes. The main objective is to contain costs and guarantee production continuity, avoiding interruptions in supplies and market.
However, the experts in the sector emphasize that, despite these alternatives, the hazelnut remains an irreplaceable ingredient for many Italian specialties, both for the taste and for the quality perceived by consumers. Products such as Nutella and other spreadable creams, which use at least in part Italian hazelnuts, could be affected by scarcity and having to find even more raw material from abroad.
