Steady rise in Australian almond sales.
After 10 months of the 2023 selling season, Australian almond sales remain almost 5% ahead of the previous season despite posting a crop that fell 34% below expected yields.
The Almond Board of Australia’s latest Position Report (for December) confirms that processors continue to clear residual stock carried over from previous seasons. The volume sold for 2023 (120,857 tonnes) is now more than 17,000 tonnes ahead of the actual crop intake of the same season.
The demand demonstrates the success the industry has had in diversifying its market footprint. Exports have been recorded in more than 40 countries since March with China, India, Spain, Turkiye, Vietnam and the Australian domestic market taking the largest volume. New trade agreements have fuelled demand in China and India.
The industry continues to have a focus on South-East Asia given its proximity to Australia and is due to begin its new season selling in earnest at the inaugural Indian Nut Conference next week and annual Gulfoods Trade Show in Dubai the following week.
ABA CEO Tim Jackson said official data for the closing two months of the 2023-24 season (Jan-Feb) is expected to push annual sales volume close to the previous year’s record of 129,424 tonnes despite the dramatic downturn in production (ie: 140,000 to 103,000).
The 2024 Australian harvest has just started. The ABA’s pre-harvest estimate of 164,700 tonnes was announced in December.
The ABA produces its monthly Position Reports utilising internal industry data and figures supplied by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.