Nuts have become part of a limited group of Portuguese agri-food sectors that manage to achieve much-desired food self-sufficiency. In the case of almonds it is 170% and in the case of chestnuts it is 116% in relation to the national consumption.
The value of Portuguese agricultural production in 2021 was 9.6 billion euros, representing a growth rate of 14.6% compared to 2020, and therefore it is fair to say that dried fruits today, with a production of 80,000 tons and exports reaching 100 million euros contributed. to this success.
A lot has passed before we got here, as dried fruits have always been produced in Portugal, and almonds are a crop that has existed in Europe for thousands of years. The breakthrough element was, first of all, the fact that over the past 10 years we have witnessed a revolution in precision farming, irrigation and varieties that increase productivity up to five times.
Few people 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 production, which positions us as a contender in relation to the world’s largest producer of almonds. almonds, which is located in the USA (70% of world production). Is this still the story of David and Goliath? Yes it is! But this phenomenon is of greater importance not from a quantitative point of view, in which Portugal currently occupies an undeniable place at the European level (3rd largest producer), but from a qualitative point of view, since Portuguese or Mediterranean almonds are now beginning to be appreciated for its quality and large international traders, more and more confirming consumer preferences.
What can Portugal say to the Portuguese consumer and also to the European nut consumer? Something simple and perhaps more and more meaningful in our rational but also emotional consumer desires. Today we are seeing problems in live supply chains and we think it makes sense to cut those chains in the direction of what should be EU food self-sufficiency.
An analysis of environmental sustainability needs to be carried out on a planetary scale, and this is where Portugal has a comparative advantage. Firstly, for the production of irrigated dried fruits, compared to the world’s largest producer, Portugal uses less water because it irrigates with modern drip systems and the CO2 emission cycle is lower, as it reduces transport and logistics chains precisely because it is closer to a large consumer market which is Europe.
Today, due to inflation, Portugal has the most expensive food basket in the EU, just behind Germany and Sweden. The bet cannot be to close Portugal, given that Portugal must be self-sufficient on its own, but it becomes clear that Portugal must produce what it is empirically good at, which allows it to exploit the investment.
Does this mean that Portugal meets its dietary needs by eating almonds and tomatoes or drinking olive oil and wine (foods that we are self-sufficient for)? Of course not! The logic of food self-sufficiency must necessarily be European, in which each of the 27 member countries produces what it has an appetite and conditions for, ensuring quality and competitive prices throughout the world.
In fact, there is a happy coincidence – it is the sectors that are self-sufficient in Portugal that are also the most exporting sectors, and not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality. Just think of wine, olive oil and, of course, dried fruit!
