Conference on almonds and hazelnuts of Almendrave, Reus, Spain, 24th April 2018

27 APRIL 2018


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The conference was attended by around 130 participants from the entire chain in Spain and by some international participants.

The first panel was dedicated to innovation: research project on pesticides presented by FRUCOM, technology in almond processing, the trends in the market and plantings, investment and profitability of almond growing by the specialised bank Cajarural, research project on bitter almonds and investment in energy efficiency in processing and transportation.

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The speaker from Cajarural underlined that if some time ago the majority of holdings grew almonds on non-irrigated land with lesser profitability, nowadays, most investments go to larger scale irrigated plantations.

The presentation on bitter almonds was about the project which is being carried out in Spain with the participation of the research bodies, Almendrave and other associations of the sector, as well as the private businesses. The expected outcomes are orchard mapping (detection of the trees); detection of the lots at the reception and of individual almonds at processing; dissemination of results.

The second session was devoted to markets for processed products (snacks, turrones, almond-based drinks). As regards snacks, one of the leading Spanish operators Importaco highlighted the need for natural, uniform, affordable and permanently available product. For almond- or cereal-based drinks, speaker from a leading dairy manufacturer Pascual underlined that these products enjoy sustained growth in sales and market penetration; the strategy of Pascual is to rely on national ingredients in line with consumer demands.

The second half of the event was dedicated to the markets of hazelnuts and almonds in Spain and in other producing countries.

FRUCOM would like to thank Almendrave for the kind invitation.

The full programme of the conference is attached.

2018 IV Encuentro Almendra Reus

Contact: Anna Boulova, aboulova@frucom.eu