The ever-expanding middle class and increase in health awareness, has lead the growing consumption of almond in the country in recent years. More than 80% of almond consumption in the country is sourced from California.
According to the Almond Board of California (ABC), a body consisting of growers and processors, almond export to India grew by 24% to 33,000 tonne during 2007-08, exports to Spain increased by 55% to 71,000 tonne, while exports to Germany increased by 14% to 47,000 tonne.
“Besides spreading awareness about the nutritional benefits of almonds supported by scientific research, we have initiated research on the Indian population for gathering data on the Indian gene pool,” Aman Gupta, India representative, ABC told FE.
He said that almond consumption in India has risen steadily for the last five years and would continue to grow at around 20% during the current fiscal. “Almonds have medicinal value in India according to traditional medical science. Thus, the factors for consumption of almonds are quite different in India compared to other countries,” Gupta said.
Globally, almonds are consumed in various forms and the nut is an integral part of many a diet. Almonds are grown across the world but California is the world’s leading producer of almonds, accounting for about 80% of the world’s production.
Out of the total production, 31% is consumed internally (in the US) and the rest is exported to other countries. According to ABC, India is amongst the top three destinations for exporting almonds, constituting a share of 6% of California’s entire almond export. Research has shown that almonds are a natural source of protein, dietary fiber, monounsaturated fat (which is good fat for the body), and antioxidants.