Oğuzlar Walnut Harvest Forecast at 2,000 Tonnes as Freeze Damage Cuts Yield
Walnut growers in Oğuzlar expect to harvest about 2,000 tonnes, down from nearly 7,000 tonnes in 2024, as damage from the April 2025 freeze persists. The district, which accounts for about 8% of Türkiye’s walnut production, will begin harvesting on September 5.
Harvest remains far below the 2024 level
Walnut production in Oğuzlar, a district of Türkiye’s Çorum province, is expected to remain sharply depressed for a second season as trees continue to show damage from the agricultural freeze of April 11, 2025. Growers are preparing to enter their orchards on September 5, but the projected harvest is only about 2,000 tonnes, according to Oğuz Hantal, president of the Çorum Walnut Producers’ Association.
The forecast compares with a harvest of nearly 7,000 tonnes in 2024, implying a decline of about 70%. Oğuzlar is an important production center, accounting for approximately 8% of Türkiye’s walnut output, according to Yayla Haber. A short crop in the district therefore has implications beyond local growers, particularly for buyers seeking its geographically registered walnut variety.
Türkiye Gazetesi reported that farmers obtained no crop last year after the nationwide freeze affected walnut trees. The consequences have carried into the current season because some branches were burned by frost and subsequently dried out. Producers say the trees have not yet fully recovered, leaving them unable to offset the previous season’s losses.
Scarcity puts the premium variety under pressure
Oğuzlar walnuts are known for their thin, easily cracked shells, mild flavor, white kernels and long shelf life. Those characteristics distinguish the variety in the domestic market, but limited availability over two consecutive seasons is likely to tighten supply. The quality and kernel fill of this year’s crop will only become clear during harvesting, farmer İsa Gümüş told Türkiye Gazetesi.
The lower volume creates pressure across the local walnut chain. Orchard owners have fewer tonnes over which to spread maintenance, irrigation and harvesting costs, while processors and traders face reduced access to a recognized regional product. Consumers may also encounter scarcer supplies. The source reports did not provide farmgate, wholesale or retail prices, so the eventual scale of any price increase remains uncertain.
Growers have nevertheless completed tree maintenance and irrigation and are preparing for the harvest. Oğuzlar is among the earliest walnut varieties harvested in Türkiye. Work is expected to begin on September 5, continue for around 20 days and finish completely by the beginning of October, Hantal said.
Producers look to the next crop for recovery
The condition of new buds offers some grounds for optimism. Hantal said new buds formed after the fruit buds this year. If there is no further agricultural freeze, producers hope production can return to 90% of the normal crop level next year. That projection remains conditional on weather and the ability of frost-damaged trees to recover.
For growers, the coming harvest will therefore serve both as a limited commercial season and as an assessment of orchard health. Actual kernel quality, branch recovery and new bud development will help determine whether the district can rebuild output after two weak seasons. Until then, an expected crop of about 2,000 tonnes leaves Oğuzlar well below its 2024 production and keeps supplies of its registered walnut variety constrained.
