<p>The walnut season has begun. The first batches of fresh Lara walnuts were already being sold a couple of weeks ago and the Grenoble walnut season will now begin. Volume is expected to be within average with a very good calibre (mostly >+30mm). The Grenoble walnut syndicate has announced an increase in volume for the PDO (protected designation of origin) walnuts compared to 2014 (10,000 tons). Quality is expected to be very good, following on from 2014 which was the weakest year since 2007 (7,878 tons). The record year was 2012 when production reached 11,076 tons. France is Europe’s number one walnut producer (and second biggest worldwide exporter) with annual volume reaching 35,000 tons on average. 6,700 hectares of walnuts are produced in Isère, followed by 2,200 hectares in the Drome region <br></p>