This year’s Australian almond crop will be smaller than expected at 65,956 tons, however, next year’s crop is forecast to break the country’s 2013 record production of 73,361 tons which propelled almonds to be Australia’s number one horticultural export at a value of $309 million. Australia is the world’s second biggest almond producing country after the U.S. and the severe drought in California is presenting Australia with the opportunity to increase its share of the global market. Over the past decade Australian almond tree plantings have increased 68% bringing the country’s almond acreage from 9,932 hectares to 28,586 hectares. As it takes seven to eight years for almond trees to mature, output is only expected to increase as more and more of these planted hectares come into production.
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