MARKETING & TRADE
China Tree Nut Conference
MEMBERS of the Australian almond industry participated in the annual China Tree Nut Conference held in Lin ’ an , China , from August 6 to 9 . This event provided a significant platform for our industry to engage with key players in the global nut market and to further our trade relationships in China . Our participation coincides with a positive trend in Australian almond exports to China , which have seen a 110 per cent increase compared to the same period last year . ABA CEO Tim Jackson shared the industry ’ s vision during an informative panel session with representatives from the American and Chinese almond industries during the conference . There were a number of take home messages during the China Tree Nut Conference :
• All other nuts have muscled into the healthy snack and versatility messaging .
• Increasing pistachio presence has been aided by the vertically integrated supply chain approach by Wonderful .
• Almond imports to China are down but other tree nuts , especially pistachios , are up .
• Economy is struggling , so consumers are looking for the best-priced high-quality snack option .
• China is still a very pricesensitive market and customers have no loyalty if better quality and price are available elsewhere .
• Processors are out-sourcing work to Vietnam and Thailand to achieve savings not possible in Chinese labour market , so it ’ s becoming increasingly difficult to calculate imports .
• The Chinese have an almond industry in the far west . It was claimed that there is between 60,000 and 90,000 tonnes produced , but the quality is highly variable . There was an indication that there was interest in expanding this industry , but conditions were much different to the Mediterranean climate that prevails in Australian , Portuguese , Spanish and Californian growing districts .
JEMMA O ’ Hanlon , our Nutrition Program Ambassador , represented the industry at the Indonesian Nutrition Association Conference in Jakarta on July 27-28 , 2024 . This conference , attended by
LEFT AND ABOVE : The ABA ' s Nutrition Program Ambassador , Jemma O ' Hanlon , represented the industry at the recent Indonesian Nutrition Association Conference in Jakarta .
Indonesian Nutrition Association Conference
professional nutritionists , provided an excellent platform to promote the health benefits of Australian almonds . Many attendees asked where they could purchase Australian almonds locally .
Notably , an influential doctor and YouTuber , who is the Chief of the Rural Doctors Association of Indonesia and a representative of the Family Physicians Association of India , visited our stand .
34 In A Nutshell - Spring 2025 Vol 25 Issue 3