The Almond Board of Australia (ABA) published its January position report on March 11, 2025, detailing volumes and destinations of almond shipments, akin to the Almond Board of California's reports. Australian exporters dispatched nearly 5.3k metric tonnes (mt) in January 2025, marking a decrease of 8.3k mt from December 2024, yet showing a slight rise over January 2024. This brings the crop-year-to-date total to 163.4k mt, surpassing previous seasons with one month left to report.
The decline in shipments aligns with expectations, as January and February are traditionally slower months for Australian almond exports nearing the crop year's end. For two consecutive crop years, Australian shippers have exported more than they have produced, following years where production exceeded shipments. The 2023/24 scenario stemmed partly from a poor production year, unlike 2024/25. Residual inventory accumulated over the 2020/21-2022/23 seasons, but the ABA indicates that the 2025/26 marketing year will commence with a notably small carry-out.
China remains the primary destination, receiving 75.5k mt so far, an increase of 129% over the previous year. India has also been a key market, importing 19.6k mt, 7% more than the prior year. These destinations are behind last year's US volumes, with increased Australian purchases accounting for part of the difference. With China imposing an additional 10% tariff on US almonds, the ABA anticipates continued Chinese purchases of Australian almonds.
Source: Mintec/Expana