Bountiful, dynamic growth seen for California almonds in China
Almond Board of California, a non-profit industry association based in the US state, has ramped up its promotions in China, a country its CEO said is expected to become its biggest export destination.
From last August to July this year - the crop season - China imported 90,000 metric tons of California-produced almonds, a hefty 20 percent increase on the same period of the previous year. The country now is the third-largest importer of California almonds, behind only Europe and India.
Richard Waycott, CEO and president of Almond Board of California, said he saw great development potential in China, because Chinese customers increasingly want a healthy and high-quality lifestyle, and the country's expanding middle class in recent years had shown an increasing taste for his industry's product.