Catalan dried fruit and nuts maintain their share in market

Barcelona (Gastroteca.cat).- According to the Dried Fruit and Nut Cooperative of Les Garrigues, Catalonia will produce around 4 million kilos of almonds, representing a 19% decrease compared to last season. Sources from the sector break down this amount to 1 million tons of largueta almonds, 2.6 million tons standard almonds and a remaining 400 tons of marcona almonds. Of these varieties, the largueta almond is the only native crop, though the production of the standard almond is becoming more and more common because of its later harvest and superior yield. 

Almonds in Catalonia are primarily cultivated in Western Catalonia, where the crop takes advantage of the area’s dryland farming techniques. The Catalan largueta almond has an extraordinary quality. It competes with the California market not because the later has a superior taste, but because of the former’s exploitation capacity.

On the other hand, hazelnuts have seen an increased harvest with up to 11 million kilos, two more than last season according to the Alimentary Corporation Union of Reus. The crop is grown in Tarragona and adjacent counties as well as in Girona territories such as La Selva. In addition, there is the carob plant, which is mainly grown to produce livestock feed. The crop saw an excellent season with some 24 million kilos, representing a 33% increase from last year. A recent initiative developed to promote Catalan hazelnuts was spurred by the protected denomination of origin (DO), the ‘Reus Hazelnut’. “Efforts to associate taste quality with the DO of a product should be taken. Label guarantee does not have to limit itself to simply proving an origin but also quality. For this reason there needs to be a set of rules and controls”, said Ferran Huguet of the Alimentary Corporation Union.

Climate is a fundamental element in the balance of harvest seasons. For example, cold weather can damage almond crops while hazelnut crops depend heavily on wind because the greater the wind, the more pollination and better yields. Where production is located and an area’s conditions are also essential to the process. Competition is just as strong in the local market as in the foreign, but in both cases almond consumption is very small considering that 90% of its production goes to making chocolates, butters, etc. On the other hand, the production of dried fruit and nuts has been almost 100% mechanized in order to escape the job market crisis. In such a consolidated sector like that of dried fruit and nuts, developments tend to be marked by changes in market shares and consumption habits. Two examples include the growing demand for dried fruit and nuts for their health benefits and the introduction of new products to the market that compete with already existing products. This is the case of the pistachio. Pistachios have always been expensive at some 4 euros a plant but are gaining more acceptance and commercial possibilities. The company Foment Agrícola of Les Garrigues is looking to profit from this fact by planting 29,000 pistachio trees in the regions of Maials and Lleida.  “This year’s September harvest looks really good with an estimation of 200,000 kilos. The cultivation of pistachios is Mediterranean although imports generally come from Iran and California,” explained Joan Altet, general director of the company.