Drought and limited supplies of irrigation water in California will reduce the almond crop by 4 percent at the same time that the global appetite for the nut is on the rise, says the USDA. The biannual Tree Nut: World Markets and Trade report forecasts a 5-percent increase in U.S. exports, to 600,000 tonnes, “largely on additional shipments to China and India.”
With two-thirds of the U.S. crop being exported, the almond stockpile would be drawn down by one-third, to 115,000 tonnes. The United States grows more than four-fifths of the almonds in the world, although output is down for the second year in a row. “Some growers observed reduced production from their wells as water levels have declined. In areas where ground water is the primary source of water, some salt damage, tree wilting and defoliation has been seen,” said USDA.
While the United States is the world leader in almonds, it is a distant second to China despite a record harvest this year that defied the California drought. China is forecast to harvest 1 million tonnes and the United States 522,000 tonnes, on an in-shell basis. The two countries account for 80 percent of world production and the United States is the world’s largest exporter, with shipments forecast to rise for the fourth year in a row to a record 375,000 tonnes.
Relatively mild summer temperatures benefited the U.S. crop, said USDA. “Growers used surface water where available and groundwater when necessary to provide adequate water supply to the trees.”