The January Californian almond shipment report just came out and what happens in the
USA will be a direct reflection of upcoming Australian almond pricing.
In short:
~ USA Shipments were 17% up on January 2017
~ Overall demand up 10% year to date
~ The 2017 USA crop looks to be 70% sold / committed
~ USA demand is up 6% on last year (USA is by far the worlds largest almond
market)
~ China/Hong Kong up 12% on last year to date
~ India 32.5% on last year to date
~ Western Europe up 10% Year to date
~Overall quality is down on natural almonds, a lot of natural almonds are very
chipped / scratched and damaged so the availability from the USA of good
looking natural almonds is less than what the physical crop numbers may
indicate

Warm weather in California is leading to an earlier bloom in many orchards and the
forecast is continued warmer than usual temps with dry conditions In terms of water,
most reservoirs are at or above average capacity.
The new Californian crop in July/August onwards is expected to be an all time record by
some margin but many in the industry believe this is needed to keep pace with the
record commitments and demand.