Foreign Demand Aids Pecan Farms

(Photo courtesy of katc.com)

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

NEW ROADS, La. (AP) — Two years after Hurricane Gustav destroyed large swaths of Louisiana pecan orchards, farmers have some good news with the price of the nut doubling because of increased foreign demand.

Traditionally, pecan farmers could expect to get $1 and change for a pound of pecans, said Randy Sanderlin, coordinator of the LSU AgCenter Pecan Research and Extension Station in Shreveport.

The Advocate reports that this year, pecan farmers can bank on getting about $2 a pound while the nuts are harvested throughout the fall and winter.

Sanderlin suggests the price increase can be traced to an explosion in foreign demand in Asian markets.