The report, prepared by the UC Agricultural Issues Center, calculated economic impacts of production, processing and marketing of the nuts. Almond-related activities generate 104,000 jobs statewide; 97,000 of those are in the Central Valley, the report says.
President of the Almond Board, Richard Waycott, said it is important for legislators, regulators and policyholders to recognize "the economic engine that the almond industry represents."
The article included the following facts about the California almond crop:
- Almonds are California's leading agricultural export
- The amount of land in almonds has nearly doubled in the past 20 years to almost a million acres
- California produces 99 percent of the U.S. almond crop
According to the story, some environmentalists have criticized growers for expanding almond orchards during the drought. At a news conference, Daniel Sumner, director of the Ag Issues Center and lead author of the report, said farmers aren't deliberately planting orchards in regions with unstable water supplies.
“Every day in California agriculture, water is the No. 1 issue on everybody's mind,” Sumner said. “These guys aren't dummies. The first thing they're thinking about before you plant a tree is to have some source of water.”
Additional coverage of the report:
Study: Almond industry contributes $21.5 billion to economy
Tim Hearden, Capital Press