Speaking to Lusa, the executive director of Portugal Nuts, António Saraiva, indicated that many of the almond trees planted in the country "are still in the development phase", so the full potential of these plantations has not yet been reached. "This tells us that there is an installed capacity in the field that will, even if the area does not grow, start to produce much more," the official highlighted. António Saraiva was speaking to Lusa on the eve of the 3rd Portugal Nuts Congress, scheduled for Thursday, in Beja, at the Cineteatro Pax Julia. Regarding the expected increase in production, the leader pointed out the members of Portugal Nuts who are dedicated to the production of almond kernels, who are "at 30% of their potential", since the average age of their plantations "is three years and six months". "The almond trees in the Portugal Nuts sample can produce three times more than they have already produced this year," he said, noting that "the trees will grow in productivity until they reach their full potential, which is around the sixth or seventh year of age". Thus, he predicted, the current plantations "have the capacity to triple production", going "from the 20,000 tonnes of almond kernels that may have been produced in 2023" to, in five or six years, reaching "60,000 or possibly more than that". According to the executive director of Portugal Nuts, the association anticipates that the national production of almond kernels in 2023, the figures for which will be known in June or July, will have grown by 20% compared to the previous year, to 20,000 tonnes. "The sector continues to grow, but there was a slowdown in growth in 2023", in terms of new plantations, he noted. In the Alqueva area, last year, "the almond grove grew by 1,540 hectares", when, in previous years, the rate was "2,000 and 3,000 hectares per year", he exemplified. This slowdown in new plantations, stressed António Saraiva, "happens because there are fewer areas available and there are also concerns about the availability of water that may exist in the future" on the part of farmers. Another reason for the slowdown may be related to the almond selling prices, which "were once higher" and are now "very low", and there are farmers who "doubt whether it is worth investing" in new plantations. Even so, the association leader said he believes that the sector "can grow a lot in the world 'ranking' of producing countries" and reach, "quite easily, 4th place", behind the United States, Australia and Spain. "This sector, which is developing mainly in the south, is leading many Spanish industrialists to form partnerships with local investors and to install units in the Beja region, because they see the volume of almonds that will be produced in Portugal in the coming years and it makes perfect sense that it should be processed in the country and not transported elsewhere," he pointed out. Portugal has the advantage of having Spain as a neighbouring country, which "is the largest importer in the world with the capacity to absorb production", to "process it in its own country or to be processed in Portugal and then exported to Europe". Highlighted at the congress that will take place in Beja will be the system that Portugal Nuts has just launched that will collect, twice a year, data from members related to plantations, production and income. Founded in 2020, Portugal NUTS has more than 50 members, including producers and processors, who represent around 17,414 hectares of almonds, mainly in the south of the country and in Beira Interior, and around 1,357 hectares of walnuts. Read Also: Dairy products are the mainstay of the economy. Alternatives resort to "misinformation" (Portuguese version)