Walnut: The Chilean phenomenon

Within three to four years walnuts will be Chile’s main crop. Chile currently has over 430,000 acres planted with walnuts and 480,000 acres with table grapes.

Each year 15 to 20 thousand acres are planted and at this rate walnuts will soon outgrow the table grapes which grow at a milder pace. Annual production is expected to grow 15-20% and production volume to increase fivefold over the next five years. Total production will be 500,000 tonnes.

Worldwide consumption of nuts and especially walnuts is increasing. India is an extremely attractive market for Chile. The meddle class of this huge sub-continent of 1,300,000,000 is 300,000,000 with an upward trend. Nuts are an essential part of their daily diet of Indians, along with almonds and cashews. India’s annual consumption of nuts is 36,000 tonnes, a small percentage compared to China’s 450,000 tonnes. So the future of the walnut market is risky. Chile’s production comes in contrast with during July, during India’s annual religious celebrations.

The quantity is almost assured for the Chileans. Where they need to focus is the quality of the fruit.

The California Walnut

2017 was a difficult year for California’s production. Excessive moisture in the spring in combination with very high temperatures during the summer contributed negatively.

The same problem of reduced production has been observed in Ukraine, France and other European countries.