The total shipments of almonds in 2019 already amounted to 186.9 million pounds compared to 190.1 million pounds in 2018, which is 1.3% lower.
Almond demand by country
US demand grew by 8.7%; in February, the best growth was observed for the entire season, while demand in Western Europe was -6%
China / Hong Kong / Vietnam showed sluggish purchasing activity -74%. It is not clear whether this trend is related to the fact that the region lacks a product and there is a need for procurement or it is connected with the transition of the region to a product of Australian origin, since customs duties for it are lower. In this case, such a deviation will allow India to increase the volume of purchases of California almonds. In the reporting period, India’s demand was + 56%.
The demand of the Middle East / Africa has grown + 18% and is far ahead of expectations. More active buyers in the Middle East region continue to buy in the same volumes, while less active buyers have announced plans to resume purchases in the next 1-2 months.
Japan’s demand + 30%, South Korea + 5%, Central and Eastern Europe -12%, Canada + 9%