US (CA): Valley helps U.S. farm exports hit record
Soybeans, corn and other Midwest crops played the biggest role, but the San Joaquin Valley found plenty of foreign buyers for its nuts, wine, dairy goods and other products. “It’s a really good time for the industry,” said John Mundt, owner of Alpine Pacific Nut Co., a walnut processor east of Keyes. It exports about 60 percent of its 40 million or so pounds of annual production, mainly to China, Japan, Europe and the Middle East.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service reported the $140.9 billion in exports for the year that ended Sept. 30, up 3.8 percent from $135.8 billion the previous year.
Mundt said demand is strong in part because of reduced harvests in other countries that grow walnuts, such as China and Chile. He also noted the growing number of people in China and India who have entered the middle class and have money to spend. And then there is the publicity about the health benefits of the nuts. “People are just eating healthier in general,” Mundt said.
Walnut prices have risen to about $2 per pound for the Chandler variety, and a little less than that for other types, processors report. Just five years ago, prices averaged 64 cents, according to the USDA.
The almond industry, which is several times bigger than the Valley’s sizable walnut industry, also is taking advantage of the health message and rising middle class. Growers are seeing prices around $3 per pound, compared with the 2008 average of $1.45.
Export shipments from August through October were up 6.5 percent versus the same period in 2012, according to the Almond Board of California, based in Modesto.
Source: mercedsunstar.com