Hazelnuts from India's Himachal Pradesh state could soon be the main ingredient in Ferrero Rocher brand names like Nutella, as a trial for commercial production gets underway. 

A pilot project has been given the green light in the northeastern region close to the Himalayas to grow hazelnut cultivars supplied by Ferrero, a leading Italian manufacturer of chocolate and confectionery.

Although it is not yet clear exactly which locations in Himachal Pradesh will be best suited to production of the tree nut, field experiments will begin soon, overseen by Italian growers who will visit India regularly as part of the collaboration.

Although there is currently no hazelnut production in Himachal, apart from some wild crops, the state is thought to have good potential with ideal growing conditions and climate.

An official from the regional State department of Horticulture told www.freshfruitportal.com farmers were excited about being involved with such a high-profile brand.

"It’s early days but there is a good buzz about the farmers who are happy to be growing hazelnuts for a company of this magnitude," the spokesman said.

"The Himachal climate will be a good friend to the hazelnuts and I think this has been recognized by the Italians who want to see how well they grow here and have been searching for production outside of Italy for a while now.

"Cultivars from Italy will be imported and trialed here in Himachal as part of the pilot project, and hopefully this will be successful and lead to larger quantities being produced in the future."

If successful, a fully fledged project will be set up and more Indian farmers will be encouraged to diversify crops to grow hazelnuts for Ferrero.

The Indian pilot follows another Ferrero deal in the summer when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to increase hazelnut production in the Piedmont growing region of Italy.

Photo: Wikimedia Creative Common

www.freshfruitportal.com