Hazelnut production in Turkey is extremely important due to its contribution to national income, employment and exports. As of 2017 Turkey was responsible 675 thousand tons, for 67.1% of world hazelnut production, followed by Italy with 13.1%, Azerbaijan with 4.3%, and the USA with 2.9%. An unplanned increase in hazelnut areas, especially after 1980, raised the issue of excess supply. As the supply surplus became an ongoing problem every year, government policy aimed to control hazelnut areas with the law numbered 2844 that was gazetted in 1983. In this paper, the importance of hazelnut production to Turkey, the post-law hazelnut areas removed from production in every province, and the alternative crops substituted for hazelnuts are examined. The law enacted to control hazelnut areas was neither effective in reducing the hazelnut areas, nor prevented the establishment of new hazelnut plantations. On the contrary, hazelnut planting areas continued to increase in provinces and districts where the removal was targeted. From 2002, when the policy of taking hazelnut areas out of production was first implemented, until the present, 1.1% of the number of producers and 0.6% of the area targeted for removal from production, has been achieved. The highest area of cases took place in Samsun Province with 83.4% (9.2 thousand decares). This was followed by Sakarya Province with 11.3% and Düzce Province with 3.3%. The most preferred alternative crops to hazelnuts are corn, kiwis and walnuts.