Almonds and pistachios in the world market

Almonds have been considered as the most relevant fruit nut in the world. It is the most extended nut in the Mediterranean area as well as,in United States. It has been the reference price for other nuts especially with the increase of industrialisation processes. On the other hand, pistachios have been traditionally concentrated in Iran followed by USA and Turkey. They are expanding all over the world and they are considered as a new crop, in many countries, where other nuts have been cultivated along the centuries. The internationalisation occurring nowadays has changed this view. The world market does not make such precise differentiations. First of all, those crops are expanding in other areas. Secondly, more and more often in the non-processed consumption and processed markets both nuts are intermingled. So, they compete for the same use. Consumers' appreciation and prices, among other elements, determine the right combination. But, there are other conditionings such as trade limitations, international laws, agri-food industries requirement, safety regulations, etc. Those crops also compete on the fields, as growers have to decide which crop to plant. Monetary returns are, in this case, a crucial aspect. In this paper both crops are analysed from production patterns to consumption trends. The first part of the paper covers the production structure as well as, world trade developments flows among traditional production countries and new expanding markets. The second part analyses food industries strategies. Finally, there are descriptions about chain distribution reactions in front of consumers' decisions and consumers' behaviour with respect to each crop.