Estimation of the Potential Hazelnut Plantation Areas in Türkiye Using a Geographic Information System

Türkiye occupies a prominent position in world hazelnut production and export. Despite the presence of legal restrictions, there has been significant expansion in hazelnut plantation areas and production. The aim of this study was to estimate the potential hazelnut plantation areas in 16 provinces and their districts in Türkiye using the Geographic Information System (GIS) and the slope criterion as defined by the Council of Ministers’ decisions No. 2014/72535. The study estimated the potential hazelnut area in the study area at 1,465,800 ha. The existing hazelnut orchards, including hazelnut orchards in unauthorized areas, amounted to 755 thousand ha, and this result shows that there is about twice the potential hazelnut area where farmers can expand their hazelnut orchards. The study also showed that if all potential areas were planted with hazelnuts, the potential hazelnut production of 759,972 t in 2022 would be 1,504,428 t in Türkiye. It is considered that slope alone is not a sufficient or accurate criterion to define the suitable areas for hazelnut cultivation. It is proposed that the government should make the necessary amendments to Regulation 2014/7535 to determine suitable hazelnut areas by taking into account soil criteria (e.g. altitude of the land, direction of the land, soil content, soil depth, nickel pollution, etc.) and climate criteria (e.g. temperature, precipitation, humidity, temperature, etc.). The effective implementation and monitoring of such regulations can improve the land use program, sustainability and competitiveness of the hazelnut sector in Türkiye.