Pecans: last year's record will not be topped

May 12, 2022 at 9:56 AM , Der AUDITOR
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ATLANTA. In the 2020/21 season, both US domestic consumption and exports reached a record high, according to data from the American Pecan Council. These levels will not be reached in the current season as demand is declining.

Domestic consumption rising steadily

The past season was a record year for the pecan industry, as the experts from Pecan Report state. Consumption reached a new high and growers and producers were more than satisfied. As data from the American Pecan Council (APC) show, the good growth was mainly due to high domestic consumption. This had steadily increased over the last four years; while it was still a good 80,739 mt in the 2017/18 season, it was already more than 156,000 mt in 2020/21. The export market, however, stagnated for the most part or even showed a slight decline.

This changed in the last season, when the APC recorded the highest US exports to date at just under 55,000 mt. Although new marketing campaigns were launched in Germany and China, exports are now slightly down again this season, and Pecan Report even reports that overall demand is significantly lower than last year. However, market players are hoping that exports will pick up again before the end of the season.

Long waiting time

Growers are already having some difficulty keeping up with demand; problem is that pecan orchards take an average of seven to ten years to be commercially harvested, but need all the necessary crop protection products from the start, resulting in high costs. This fact, coupled with the low farmgate prices, has deterred many farmers. Imports from Mexico are currently the solution here, but there is also increased investment in cultivation in the USA.

Prices on the European spot market are unchanged compared to last week and remain at EUR 13.00/kg FCA Spain for Fancy Junior Mammoth Halves from the USA.

Pecans, USA

Type

EUR/kg

USD/kg

Fancy Junior Mammoth Halves

13.00

13.65

Large Pieces

11.95

12.55

Small Pieces

11.85

12.45

FCA Spain

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