good news for the almond guys
which should translate into good news for comm beeks who help them out.
US: Almonds continue to be in high demand
At Stewart & Jasper Orchard, millions of almonds are grown and processed. The product is being harvest now, as machines called shakers go to each almond tree along Eastin and Shiells roads in Newman to shower down as the nut, which will eventually be shipped to places all across the world.
But almonds aren't the only thing that are grown at the facility. Money also grows there, though not literally. The production, the shipments and the demand for almonds keep on growing and growing.
Last month, the Almond Board of California reported in 2007 that the domestic, export and total worldwide shipments of almonds were the largest in history, a record that could fall in the coming years. More than 1.3 billion pounds of the nut - which is more than 24 percent from the previous year - were harvested in 2007, marking it the largest crop ever.
Shipments overseas jumped to 1.26 billion pounds, a 18-percent increase. Germany and Spain continue to be the No. 1 and No. 2 exports of the California almonds, due to the strong tradition of almond lovers living in the countries. India claims the third spot, as president and CEO of the Almond Board Richard Waycott said Indian parents, for example, are known to give their children a handful of almonds before leaving for school for good luck.
Japan and China round out the top five export destinations. "It's such a wonderful, nutritious food," Waycott said during media day Tuesday, in which reporters sat down for an interview in his office in Modesto and then took a tour of the orchard.
It's an industry, he added, that will continue to grow. In the U.S., shipments went up 7.2 percent - reaching 394.8 million pounds, as it is the largest single market for California almonds. Add to that, shipments accounted for 31 percent share and 69 percent for export shipments.
In addition, Western Europe and Asia remains the top two regional export destinations with shares of 54 and 23 percents. "The growers and handlers of California Almonds have set the stage for this unprecedented growth with forward-thinking, strategically sound programs administered by the Almond Board of California," Waycott said last month after reports of the continued strong demand for his product. "From the research in the field aimed at creating a more sustainable environment for growing almonds to the investment in research to understand almond nutritional benefits, the entire almond community has been focused on making record demand a reality.
"In fact, almonds continue to be the second most frequently used nut worldwide for new nut product introductions and if demand continues to grow at this rate, almonds will become the number one nut for global new product introductions in 2008."
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