Almond Appetite in India and China Continues to Expand
Each year as harvest commences
Blue Diamond
quickly gears up for early Nonpareil inshell shipments.
Typically, the first shipments of the crop year are to
India and China. Our production can be nonstop,
24 hours a day for weeks, or even months, to meet
demand in these markets.
Blue Diamond
has been the
trailblazer in opening these markets over the years
and is the preferred brand, earning a premium over
our competitors. Consistency in quality, service, and
scale of supply has made our brand the gold standard
in the industry.
For India, just about all almond shipments are Nonpareil
inshell. The shipments to India are very heavy through
the late summer and early fall to meet the demand for
Indian New Year (Diwali) and the wedding season.
Almonds are an auspicious gift to present during these
times and demand is strong. Besides the festival season,
almonds are also considered brain food for children and
a necessary food during exams. Snacking on almonds
and use as an ingredient in many foods is also growing.
Almost all almonds are cracked by hand in India and
then sold in kernel form. It is estimated that there are
over 60,000 people employed in the cracking industry
in India. All almonds shipped and cracked in India are
also consumed in the country and demand for almonds
continues to grow. In 2010, industry shipments to India
were 110.5 million pounds. For crop year 2017,
shipments were over 193 million pounds.
With larger California crops on the horizon, India is
also expected to grow in almond consumption by at
least 15 percent each year as its middle class and
economy continue to expand, and its appetite for
almonds grows larger.
For China, brown, manufactured and inshell almonds
are all shipped to this market. Specifically, for inshell,
they are consumed as a snack and gifting item. In retail
outlets, one can see many different brands of inshell
California almonds sold in a myriad of different flavors.
For the China market, the inshell almonds are not shelled
but roasted and flavored in the shell and sold as a
popular snack nationwide. The paper-thin shell of the
Nonpareil is perfect for easy cracking. The demand is
growing rapidly in a country that loves snacking.
In crop year 2015, inshell shipments to China (including
Hong Kong and Vietnam) was 80.6 million. For crop
year 2017, the shipments were 117 million pounds.
Additionally, the middle class in China is now over 200
million people and continues to grow. Like India, this
market is expected to grow over 15 percent each year
as larger California crops are harvested.
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