The scarcity of raw nuts has a direct impact on the price. There aren't many red pine trees left, so if you want to buy them, it's now or never. It took ten to fifteen years for pine trees to start producing cones. As a result, prices have skyrocketed in recent weeks.
Because of this increase, the supply of pine nuts cannot keep up, which translates into an increase in prices because the value increases. Another thing that makes pine nuts so expensive is that they require a lot of labor and effort to grow, care for and harvest them. In addition, since this nut is not native to the U.S. In the U.S., it's not something that manufacturers can produce in large quantities in the same country.
For example, pine nut producers need to climb trees and use ladders to deliver them while they drop nuts on the ground. Meihekou County, in Jilin Province, is the largest pine nut distribution center in Asia and is home to the largest pine nut processing plant in China. They grow only a few centimeters a year and pine nuts take two years to mature for harvest, Torres said. Overexploitation threatens forest health.
They're incredibly tasty and they're very tasty, Linda Grimo, manager of Grimo Nut Nursery in Ontario, Canada, told TMRW. In the driest parts of Nevada, near the Walker River Paiute tribe, Torres said he sees the damage caused to trees by commercial harvesters and climate change and is concerned about the future of pine trees in other parts of Nevada. For example, these nuts take a long time to grow, require a lot of labor, there is greater demand, and they are not native to the United States. As demand for pine nuts increases, the supply of pine nuts cannot keep pace due to the long time it takes for trees to mature.
The county produces up to 100,000 metric tons of pine nuts a year, which corresponds to 80% of China's total production. And, in some cases, small nuts make a big trip around the world before they're ready to be blended into a batch of pesto. Libba Letton, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market, said prices are likely to have doubled last year, but added that pine nuts are still available. Another thing that makes pine nuts so expensive is that they require a lot of work and effort to grow, care for and harvest them.
Traders will be interested to know that almost half of the red pine variety has been sold to domestic and international markets.
