CANBERRA: Australia’s booming almond industry has broken another monthly export record, generating $118 million in overseas sales during June.
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show June exports jumped 75 per cent higher than at the same time last year, with prices averaging around $11.55 per kilo. Ross Skinner, from the Almond Board of Australia, said it had been a great start to the industry’s marketing season.
“The almond industry this year grew a record crop of 75,000 tonnes, and that’s posed the challenge in clearing that new production record,” he said. “But the season has progressed very well to date, and we’ve established record sales in both May and June.
“This year we believe we’ll have exports somewhere near $600 million, and the domestic market will bring another $200 million. “So all up, we’ll have about $800 million in sales for the almond industry in 2015, going into the early part of 2016, which is our marketing year.”
Mr Skinner said while the industry was hopeful production figures would once again increase in 2016, it was still too early to predict next season’s harvest figures. “The planting data that we use to forecast crops indicate that we’ll move towards a crop of 80,000 tonnes,” he said.
“It’s still very early days, with regard to pollination, and we don’t know what the fruit set will be like. “But we are very hopeful that we’ll move towards 80,000 tonnes.” The almond industry has enjoyed strong growth in recent years, with many new orchards being established across the major growing regions.
Mr Skinner said ongoing uncertainty around water availability had not slowed investment in the sector, with cashed-up buyers still seeking land suitable for almond production.
“We are seeing very strong demand for existing orchards, and also to establish greenfield sites,” he said. “It certainly seems like the investors, either current producers or other investors, are having no difficulties in finding the funds to buy water and land.
“The Murrumbidgee has been one of the significant growth areas, and already 11 per cent of the industry is based in the Riverina. “So we are believing the availability of water in that region, it will be a major growth centre for the industry going forward.”
