Spanish almond production is expected to drop by 50 per cent this year, with volumes forecast to fall to 26,000 tonnes year-on-year, promoting concern that poor prices in the market will not cover growers’ production costs.
According to the country’s Union of Small Farmers (UPA), this year’s almond harvest is likely only to reach half of the total volume recorded in 2009, dropping below pre-season forecasts.
However, in spite of the substantially lower harvest, the organisation said that almond prices on the Spanish domestic market had remained at similar or lower levels than last year, which it said “did not cover the costs of production”.
“The UPA has confirmed that producers are currently being paid €2.11 per kg for normal almonds, a price which makes the continuing development of this agricultural activity totally inviable,” claimed the union.
The organisation also argued that almond imports from the US were “negatively affecting” the state of the Spanish domestic market.
