This year’s California almond crop is on track to be the second largest on record!
Forecasts estimate nearly 3 billion pounds, a 10% increase from last year.
The Almond Board of California credits good weather and strong blooms, and they say the good news does not stop there.
Their President and CEO, Clarice Turner, stated, “The great thing is, is that we continue to see super strong demand all around the world, and we’ve had consistently strong shipments now for a couple of years, and our carryover inventory is one of the lowest that it’s ever been. You know, almonds are very versatile in that they have a long shelf life. So, we’re fortunate in that we’re able to keep that consistent supply around the world, like I mentioned. But we did have quite a large inventory build-up thanks to COVID and shipping and a number of things that have dwindled down, so now it’s under half a billion pounds.”
She says that one season for their demand success is the wide variety of almond products available today, including oils, flours, and butters.
California producers also face a new threat— the carpophilus beetle.
So far, sanitation efforts have failed to control the pest. A University of California Farm Advisor in San Joaquin County says that the beetle threatens the industry with potential yield losses until an effective solution is found.
