Evora, Portugal, Nov. 5, 2025 (Lusa) - The amount of almonds produced in Portugal is expected to fall this year compared to last year's harvest due to bad weather during the flowering and pollination period, an industry association estimated on Wednesday.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, the executive director of the Portugal Nuts association, Nuno Russo, said that the "very rainy and cold weather, particularly in March, during the flowering and pollination period" had hampered production.
"The month of March was the rainiest since 2000, with nine extreme rainfall events and was also affected by four depressions, in particular Storm Martinho, with extremely strong gusts," he said.
Nuno Russo pointed out that the weather "affected flowering in that particular month, hampered pollination and prevented the fruit from setting", with "production losses directly linked to this climatic phenomenon" expected.
"The initial data we have, which are still estimates, point to losses that could range from 25% to 75%, with an average of around 50%," he told Lusa, on the sidelines of an event on the balance of the nut season taking place this afternoon at a walnut processing plant in the municipality of Évora.
According to the executive director of Portugal Nuts, with the almond season nearing completion and the walnut season still underway, "all the work and logistics" are on the ground, which prevents, for now, a "more accurate calculation of the average losses".
"We have situations with 25% and others with 85%" drop in almond production, he said, pointing out, on the other hand, that there are also producers with "new orchards that are coming into production and which show positive data compared to the previous year."
According to Nuno Russo, Portugal Nuts is expected to release data on this year's nut harvest at the end of this month.
When questioned by Lusa, the director said he doubted that the expected drop in almond production in Portugal would have consequences for Portuguese consumers, as the global harvest indicates "figures similar to last year's".
As for the domestic walnut harvest, it is expected to be "stable to good", according to the executive director of Portugal Nuts.
He pointed out that the nut sector exported a total of €130 million in 2024, with the almond sector leading the way, reaching €100 million, which represented an increase of 68% compared to the previous year.
"We have emerged as one of the main nut producers in Europe, especially almonds," he said, stressing that Portugal is already self-sufficient and the sector contributes €75 million to the trade balance.
Nuno Russo said that Portugal is the second largest European producer of almonds and, in the short term, could become the fourth largest in the world, behind the United States, Australia and Spain.
With regard to walnuts, he added, the country will soon enter "the European top 5".
Founded in 2020, Portugal NUTS has more than 50 members, including producers and processors, representing around 17,965 hectares of almonds, mainly in the south of the country and in Beira Interior, and around 1,290 hectares of walnuts.
SM/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
