Almonds: surprising January sales
February 13, 2026 at 10:42 AM ,
Der AUDITOR
Unusual sales in January
Although shipments were not that impressive in January, stakeholders are quite excited about the unusually high sales figures for the month. Monthly domestic shipments, in fact, declined by 17% to 51 million pounds as compared with the 62 million pounds shipped in January 2025 and exports dipped by 7% to 155 million pounds as compared with the 167 million pounds registered in January last year. This brings the monthly net total to 206 million pounds, 10% lower than last year.
Unlike in December 2025, when total committed shipments were 12% off on last year at 496 million pounds, this figure has now climbed to 588 million pounds, which is 3% up on last year. As US supplier Select Harvest notes handlers have thereby added 298 million pounds in sales in January, which is an unusually high monthly sales figure as it has ranged at 300 million pounds only three times since the 2015/2016 crop apart from the May figures which rather reflect forward crop commitments. Exports are the main driver as commitments have surged to 374 million pounds this season so far, which is 16% up on last year’s 323 million pounds.
Shipments 7% down
Grand total year-to-date shipments are, however, lagging 7% behind last year with domestic shipments taking an 18% dip and exports 3% down. Shipments to India as leading export destination may still be 12% off on last year but have caught up in recent months and demand is expected to remain high.
By contrast, exports to Spain have risen by 13% and Italy is showing a similar growth rate. At 287 million pounds exports to Western Europe, however, range 3% lower than last year’s 295 million pounds with large importing countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany, sporting sharp declines.
Shipments to the United Arab Emirates have risen by a moderate 3%, whereas Turkey has witnessed a 17% increase. Morocco is also showing a 24% uprise. Exports to the Middle East/Africa as a region are 5% up at 260 million pounds as compared with last year’s 247 million pounds. US suppliers are viewing the region with keen interest as consumption is anticipated to mature.
Vietnam is showing the strongest uptake as exports to here have surged by 65%. Issue is that former leading importer China has redirected its supply chains to other Southeast Asian countries that also include Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Exports to Southeast Asia as a region have surged by 45% from 51 million pounds in August to January 2024/2025 to 75 million pounds in the same period in 2025/2026.
|
US almond shipments (1,000 lbs) |
|||
|
Destination |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
Diff. |
|
India |
195,851 |
171,785 |
-12.3% |
|
Spain |
81,980 |
92,615 |
13.0% |
|
UAE |
85,770 |
87,597 |
2.1% |
|
Turkey |
68,208 |
80,025 |
17.3% |
|
Italy |
46,215 |
52,041 |
12.6% |
|
Vietnam |
28,815 |
47,543 |
65.0% |
|
Netherlands |
70,235 |
44,790 |
-36.2% |
|
Germany |
42,775 |
39,353 |
-29.0% |
|
Japan |
40,675 |
37,010 |
-9.0% |
|
Morocco |
29,596 |
36,570 |
23.6% |
|
Others |
325,710 |
293,672 |
-9.8% |
|
Total Exports |
1,015,830 |
983,001 |
-3.2% |
|
Total Domestic |
357,568 |
293,648 |
-17.9% |
|
Grand Total |
1,373,398 |
1,276,649 |
-7.0% |
|
California almonds, 01/08-31/01 |
|||
Wet weather to impact bloom
Crop receipts have climbed to 2.63 billion pounds, which is 1.4% off on last year and confirms expectations of a final crop size of around 2.7 billion pounds. Opinion is that supply and demand are well balanced. Handlers will try to maintain comfortable carry-forward supplies of around 500 million pounds. Warnings have, however, been issued that the wet harvest season may impact quality and reduce available supplies in markets where demand is high. Although shipments will not be quite as high as last year, this is not because demand has softened but rather because supplies are more limited.
Attention will shift towards the new crop in February. Early bloom has already started and the dry and warm weather conditions prevailing in January have allowed growers to prepare the orchards. Downside, however, is that wet weather is forecast to return in mid-February, which will impact bloom. Although the upside is that cold weather and snowpack may refill water reserves, this is causing quite a bit of unease.
View more
- price chart, almonds, Mamra, Iran
- price chart, almonds, natural 13/14, Largueta
- price chart, almonds, blanched, 27/30, California SSR
- more price charts
View related articles
