The market status of fresh walnuts in shells is characterized by balanced supply and demand but large price fluctuations.
Production and supply
In 2024/25, the commercial production of walnuts in shells is expected to rebound by 11% to 1.5 million tons. Production in major producing areas such as Xinjiang and Yunnan will rebound, and production in other producing areas such as Hebei, Henan, Gansu and Shaanxi may also increase due to favorable weather. However, drought in Shanxi may cause the kernel to become smaller, affecting production in some areas.
Price changes
The price of fresh walnuts is affected by many factors, including the origin, transportation costs and market demand. For example, although Xinjiang's paper-shell walnuts have a good harvest, the sales price has continued to decline due to weak market demand, and the lowest price has dropped to 4 yuan per catty, and even in some producing areas The price fell below this level. Despite the lower price at the origin, the price of fresh walnuts in the market is usually around 10 yuan per catty due to transportation costs and additional fees for middlemen.
Market demand and consumer preferences
Fresh walnuts are deeply loved by consumers because of their rich nutrition and unique taste. Paper-shell walnuts, due to their easy-to-peel characteristics, quickly occupied a place in the market and once became a hot commodity in the market. However, with the increase in supply and the intensification of market competition, market demand appears relatively weak, resulting in a drop in prices.
Future trend forecast
In the next few years, the walnut planting area may slowly decline, mainly due to the oversupply in the market. In addition, the rising demand for high-quality paper-shell walnuts by consumers has led to an expansion of planting scale and an increase in supply, which further affected the market price.
