Spain’s Dcoop Group Set To Export 300 Metric Tons of Almonds to China

According to Spanish media reports, 15 containers of Spanish almonds, totaling 300 metric tons, are to be exported to China. The initial shipment, scheduled between January and February 2024, includes 160 metric tons of Lauranne and 140 metric tons of Penta almonds from the renowned Dcoop Group.

Lauranne almonds, akin to California’s Nonpareil variety, boast a larger and more delectable profile. Additionally, their skin remains intact when baking, contributing to higher market prices. In contrast, with a rounder and smaller shape, Penta almonds offer a sweeter taste, making them ideal for processing into candies and chocolate.

Negotiations for Spanish almond exports to China commenced in October 2017, though an official agreement was not reached until Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s state visit to China in March of this year. On April 11, China’s General Administration of Customs established quarantine requirements for Spanish almond imports, granting exclusive export licenses to the Dcoop Group and Catalonia-based Unió Nuts.

Dcoop, a prominent agricultural and food cooperative representing over 75,000 farming families, has positioned itself as a leader in the Spanish almond industry. Operating a large-scale almond-shelling facility in Villarrubia (Córdoba) with a production capacity of 8,000 metric tons, Dcoop has become a formidable competitor to California Almonds. The cooperative strategically focuses on the export market, with recent expansion into India and China.

For the Spanish government, China is an essential target in the strategy to expand almond production and exports worldwide. Projections indicate that Spain aims to export around 50,000 metric tons of almonds to China by 2025, with an ambitious target of 90,000 metric tons by 2032.

The opening of the Chinese market is expected to stimulate almond production across various Spanish regions, particularly in Andalusia. In the 2020/21 season, Andalusia alone yielded approximately 100,000 metric tons of almonds. During the same period, almond production reached 60,000 metric tons in Aragon, 50,000 metric tons in Castile-La Mancha, 37,000 metric tons in Valencia, 28,000 metric tons in Murcia and 20,000 metric tons in Catalonia.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.