Spain: Led by pistachios, nuts continue their expansion in 2020
Nut production in Spain continues to expand, driven by a growing demand worldwide, especially in the EU. Pistachio is the crop with the greatest expansion of planted acreage, with a 51% growth in 2020 compared to 2019.
A study published by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food compiles data on almost 80% of the entire nut sector in Spain. In 2019, Spain made it compulsory for fruit production areas to collect information corresponding to the crop, variety and year of planting in order to know the country's production reality. This study completes the analysis of fruit-growing areas that the ministry began in April with stone fruit and continued with citrus fruit in July.
Pistachio is one of the crops with the greatest expansion process in recent years and already reaches 48,000 hectares planted, with growth in 2020 of 31% in rain fed land and 20% in irrigated land, for which 63% of the surface area has not yet entered into production.
The almond tree remains the main crop, with nearly 600,000 hectares analyzed in this study. Although in a smaller proportion than in previous years, in 2020 there was a 3% increase in rain fed land and 10% in irrigated land.
Almond new plantations account for 18% of the total planted area, although in the specific case of irrigated crops this rises to 26%. Also noteworthy in almond cultivation is the varietal change observed in the new plantations. This change is a reflection of a clear adaptation both to the market balance and its demand structure and to the conditions of each production area.
The study also shows that walnut is another clearly expanding crop, with a registered area of 9,550 hectares, 27% of which are new plantations that have not yet come into production.
It analyses hazel, carob and chestnut as well. For hazelnut, there is a stagnation and even a decline in the production area, especially in rain fed areas. For carob and chestnut, the representativeness of the data recorded is not considered optimal, so no clear conclusions can be drawn.
The sector in Spain responds to the considerable increase in demand on an international scale and especially in the European Union (EU), where purchases have grown by 17% in the last five years.
Full report in Spanish here: https://bit.ly/3FEVIa4
Source: Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación