<p></p><p>The almond industry says this year's harvest will not match that of last year's record-breaking haul. Harvest has started in parts of South Australia and Victoria, but it is expected to fall short of the 80,500 tons shaken from almond trees in Australia in 2015. <br></p> <p>AlmondCo CEO Ross Skinner said yields would be down by around 7,300 tons largely due to the Carmel variety producing less fruit. "We were hoping it would level out, although we have noticed in the past that when we get a very large crop there is usually a fall away, but it depends on which variety is having the bumper crop," he said. <br></p> <p>Last year was a record year for almonds in terms of tonnage and value. Mr Skinner said it was estimated to reach $1 billion, with exports to December already bringing in $750,000.</p> <p>"With the exports this year, we had a rise by almost 11,000 tons over the previous 2014 crop. With the smaller crop in 2016 we expect to see export tonnage fall away somewhat." <br></p> <p>That drop is being felt across most regions compared to 2015. "Crops appear to be down in all regions. Those most heavily impacted appear to be the Adelaide Plains growers and in the Riverina," Mr Skinner said. The recent wet and humid conditions have seen some orchards suffer from hull rot, a fungal disease that can cause some nuts to stick to the trees. <br></p> <p>"Early harvest has been brought forward by a week or two in most instances. Some properties have suffered from hull rot, but it is very variable across the producing regions and also within them," Mr Skinner said. "There are some properties that are unaffected and some that are showing some impact from the rain and humidity." <br></p> <p>Harvest starts weeks earlier than expected Paul Martin is an almond grower in South Australia's Riverland region and Victoria's Lindsay Point. Hull rot has forced him to start harvest 10 days earlier than anticipated. <br></p> <p>"It has been with us for a long time. We'd love to find a cure, it'd solve our problems if we could find a way to control it or we may have to plant other varieties than the Nonpareil, which is the most affected by it," he said. While a cure for hull rot is yet to be found, there are preventative measures. "There are sprays that are available that do hold off the effects of hull rot. But they are preventative rather than curative," Mr Skinner said. <br></p> <p>"Some orchardists have gone down that route and applied it, but it's not something that is widely adopted as yet."<br></p><p></p>