Dutch nuts in the supermarket?
The Dutch nut in the supermarket is still a long way off. At least, that was the feeling during the General Meeting of the Dutch Nut Association last week. Large chain players only pick up the phone for 17,000 kg of nuts per delivery. Based on a back-of-the-envelope calculation, that would be about 6 hectares for a hazelnut monoculture (4x5 meter planting distance). In an agroforestry setting (combined with arable farming), with larger row spacing (20 meters), we are heading towards 20 hectares. The majority of members had planted less.
An even more important argument as to why they probably won't end up in the supermarket is the price. Chain players are willing to pay 3 to a maximum of 6 euros per kg for unpeeled organic hazelnuts. At this price and given the relatively long time to reach maximum production (about year 6), it simply does not seem profitable for smaller producers.
Don't despair! The solution is obvious. As is often the case in the agricultural sector, it is chain players and retailers who take the biggest slice of the pie. What if growers could unite and invest in processing, marketing, and sales within a cooperative framework? Albert Heijn sells its organic hazelnuts for 21.36 per kg. That is almost 5 times the price growers receive for unpeeled organic hazelnuts. It seems to me there is plenty of room for a fair price for the farmer and processor.
There are plenty of other reasons for farmers to want to pursue agroforestry. WUR also gave a nice presentation about their windbreak and hazelnut research plot. They compared various markers for yield, biodiversity, etc., at different measurement distances from the rows of trees. Most crops had higher yields than the reference values on a bare field (legumes, in particular, performed significantly better).
The above reinforces my belief that there are plenty of opportunities to scale up agroforestry in the Netherlands. On behalf of Nuts & Berries Agroforestry, I am contributing to the development of such projects!
