<p></p><p>Despite California’s ongoing drought, almond production in the state this year is expected to exceed 2 billion pounds for the first time since 2013, and could be a record crop.The California Almond Board forecast a 2.05 billion crop for the 2016-17 season.This is the second and final forecast made by the agency this year to provide almond growers, processors and shippers with estimates to help them make business decisions.The latest almond crop projection is 2.5 percent higher than the May estimate and 7.9 percent higher than last year’s actual production, according to the 2016 California Almond Objective Measurement Report. <br></p> <p>California almond prices see big drop in recent monthsOnly in 2011 and 2013 has the state’s almond growers produced more than 2 billion pounds of nuts, with the record of 2.03 in 2011.“To me, the local area looks good. It’s an exceptional year,” said Mark Heuer, who grows almonds near Plainview.He and other almond producers are expected to begin harvesting late this month.“This year, we’re handing the drought issue better,” Heuer said.That's thanks to slightly above-average rainfall in the Valley over this past winter and releases of surface water planned for Valley farmers for the first time in at least a couple of years, he said.The estimated average number of nuts per tree this year is 6,159, up 4.9 percent from 2015, according to the federal report.In the southern San Joaquin Valley — which includes Tulare, Kern, Fresno and Kings counties — the estimated average is expected to be slightly higher at 6,163. <br></p> <p>Also, Heuer said, the amount of almond-bearing farmland is up, and trees planted two, three or more years ago already are producing nuts.The Almonds Board estimated the bearing acres in the state this time last year at about 890,000 acres.Almonds were California’s second top-selling crop in 2014 — the latest statistic available — with sales exceeding $5.9 billion that year and the state's biggest agricultural export, based on sales.The San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys produced about 82 percent of commercial almonds sold around the world last year, with Europe and Australia in distant second and third place for production.Kern and Fresno counties are the top almond-growing counties, while Tulare County ranked ninth in 2014, with total sales here exceeding $406.8 million.Last year growers were getting $3.80 to more than $4 a pound. But in recent months prices had dropped dramatically — below $2 at one point — before they turned back up.“Things have been firming up, and they’re kind of staying firm for us,” said Mark Maguire, manager of RPC Packing, Inc., in Porterville, which processes almonds, walnuts, and prunes.“Expectations this year, growers are looking at $2.60 a pound. I think it’s a good price,” he said, explaining that last year prices got so high that they made almonds too pricey for consumers. “Then you had the Chinese [yuan] that was weak, and they couldn’t buy as many American products.”<br></p><p></p>