This is the VOA SpecialEnglish Agriculture Report.
Nuts that grow on trees are an important part of the diet in manycultures. They also provide an important export product for manynations.
The United States is the world’s largest exporter of tree nuts.About forty-three percent of tree nuts grown in America areexported. The United States grows more than ten percent of theworld’s tree nut supply.
The world’s most popular tree nut is the almond. The UnitedStates is expected to grow over five-hundred-thousand metric tons ofalmonds this year. The second largest grower, Spain, is expected toproduce about one-fifth of that amount.
Next in popularity is the walnut. The two largest producers ofthis crop are the United States and China. China does not exportmuch of its production. This year the United States will exportabout one-third of the walnuts it grows.
Another major tree nut in the export market is the filbert, orhazelnut. Turkey is by far the biggest producer of this nut,followed by Italy and Spain. Other economically important tree nutsinclude brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, pistachios and kola nuts.Many of these nuts need warm, wet climates to grow. Brazil nuts andcashews, for example, are major exports for countries with tropicalclimates.
Not surprisingly, Brazil is the largest producer of Brazil nuts.India is by far the largest producer of cashews. Vietnam and Brazilare also large exporters.
Tree nuts are excellent products for export. They are easilystored. They can also be processed in the country that grows them.
Some tree nuts, though, require extra processing. Cashews are agood example. Cashews must be removed from their shell and cooked.Without processing, cashews are poisonous. They can cause severereactions if eaten or even touched.
Exporting processed cashews creates jobs where the nuts aregrown. It also adds to the export value of the product. For example,the World Bank helped farmers in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte areadevelop a processing center for cashews. This project began in thelate nineteen-eighties. Today, the center employs twenty-five localpeople. It permits farmers to grow and market good quality cashews.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by MarioRitter.