Portugal, nuts and the Portuguese consumer: a successful trilogy
Nuts have become part of the restricted group of Portuguese agri-food sectors that manage to ensure the so ambitious self-supply of food. In the case of almonds it is 170% and in the case of chestnuts it is 116%, in relation to what is national consumption.
9.6 million euros was the value of Portuguese agricultural production in 2021, which represents a growth rate of 14.6% compared to 2020 and therefore it is fair to say that dried fruit today, with a production of 80,000 tons and exports reaching 100 million euros, managed for this success.
Much had passed before we arrived here, as dried fruits would always be produced in Portugal and almonds are a culture that has been around for millennia in Europe. The disruptive element was, above all, the fact that over the last 10 years we have witnessed a revolution in terms of precision agriculture, irrigation and varieties that ensure productivity up to five times greater.
Few people will know that Portugal was the country in the world that grew the most in terms of percentage in the almond sector, both in terms of area and in terms of production, which positions us as a challenger in relation to the world’s largest producer of almonds, which is the USA (70% of world production). Is it still a David and Goliath story? Yes it is! But the phenomenon is more cultivated, not from a quantitative perspective in which Portugal now has an undisputed place in Europe (3rd largest producer), but from a qualitative perspective, as the Portuguese or Mediterranean almond is now beginning to be valued for its quality and by major international retailers, confirming consumer preference more and more.
What does Portugal have to say to the Portuguese consumer, but also to the European nut consumer? Something simple and that perhaps makes more and more sense in our rational, but also emotional desires as consumers. Today we are witnessing the problems in the supply chains live and we believe that it makes more sense to shorten these circuits, towards what should be the EU’s food self-sufficiency.
The analysis of environmental sustainability has to be done on a planetary scale and that is where Portugal has comparative advantages. First of all, for the production of irrigated dried fruits, when compared to the world’s largest producer, Portugal uses less water because it irrigates with modern drip systems and the cycle of CO2 emissions is lower, as it shortens transport logistics chains, precisely because to be closer to the great consumer market that is Europe.
Today, thanks to the tribe, Portugal has the most expensive food basket in the EU, just behind Germany and Sweden. The bet cannot be to close Portugal, considering that Portugal has to be self-sufficient per se, but it becomes evident that Portugal has to produce what it is empirically good at, allowing it to leverage investment.
Does this mean that Portugal met its food needs just by eating almonds and tomatoes or drinking olive oil and wine (products in which we are self-sufficient)? Certainly not! The logic of food self-sufficiency must be strongly European, in which each of the 27 MS produces what it has the appetite and conditions for, ensuring quality and competitive prices worldwide.
In fact, there is a happy coincidence – it is precisely the sectors that in Portugal ensure self-sufficiency that are also the most exporting sectors and not only from a quantity perspective, but from a quality perspective. Just think about wine, olive oil and of course dried fruit!
Executive Director Portugal Nuts