Economy

Seed time for almond industry

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-06 09:45

BEIJING - China is expected to overtake Spain to become the largest export market for Californian almonds next year, with increasing awareness of healthy eating and rising purchasing power among consumers.

"We hope this market will grow to more than 100,000 tons in the next two or three years," said Richard Waycott, president and chief executive officer of the Almond Board of California.

According to the board, export volume of almonds from the United States to China has increased from 10,000 tons in 2002 to 60,000 tons in 2009.

Eighty percent of the world's almonds are produced in California, because the state's Mediterranean-type climate is conducive to cultivation of the crop.

All the almonds sold on the Chinese market are from California, said Waycott.

Scientific research shows that almonds are rich in Vitamin E, flavonoids (a form of radical), protein, plus mono and poly-unsaturated fatty acids.

Almonds lower cholesterol and contain triglyceride (a main constituent of vegetable oil), which can protect against cardiovascular disease, according to research conducted at Loma Linda University in the US.

The board plans to invest more than $5 million in the Chinese market during its next crop year (Aug 1 to July 31, 2011), to further boost sales expansion. The investment figure was less than $1 million four years ago.

According to market research conducted by the board in May of this year, 49 percent of Chinese consumers said they are eating more almonds compared with the previous year, and 51 percent of them said they will further increase consumption in the next 12 months.

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Most consumers in China consider almonds a holiday food and buy them as a gift, said Kristi Saitama, associate director of the board's Asia bureau.

Mike Bastin, a visiting professor at China Agricultural University, where he leads the Brand Management course on the MBA program, said in a written reply to China Daily. "Chinese consumers of all ages regularly consume almonds but for a variety of different reasons."

Older Chinese people value the nutritional benefits and the young, whilst acknowledging the nutritional value, enjoy almonds as part of a dessert, Bastin added.

"I began to feed my daughter almonds as soon as she was able to chew and now she is 2 years and 9 months old. I think the rich nutrients in almonds will contribute a lot to her development," said Ren Yan, a mother in her 30s, who was shopping in a Beijing Carrefour supermarket.

"I don't buy almonds myself but my parents always purchase some during Spring Festival and share them with other family members," said Li Yan, a university student who studies in Beijing.

In recent years, almond consumption has increased significantly in the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas, where large numbers of affluent people reside, said Saitama. The next phase for consumption growth will focus on Northeast China, she added.