California produces 82% of the world's almonds. This year, farmers in the state will harvest 2.8 billion pounds. But according to the Los Angeles Times, "about 1.3 billion pounds of unsold almonds are still sitting in piles at processing and packing facilities" instead of being shipped to "robust markets like the European Union, China, India and the United Arab Emirates."
The problem, according to the article, is that oceanic carriers can make more money sending empty container ships to Asia to load up on export goods instead of waiting in California posts to be loaded with almonds. The glut of almonds has led to record low prices in the US — $2 a pound.
Those 1.3 billion pounds of almonds sitting in packing facilities represent a lot of water. The article says it takes "1.1 gallons of water to grow an almond, and to grow a pound of almonds requires about 1,900 gallons of water."
