<p>According to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), Mexico's nut production between January and October last year increased by 83 percent when compared to the same period of 2015.Up until October 2016, the Department of Agricultural Food and Fisheries Information (SIAP) reported an accumulated production of 38,660 tons, i.e. 17,500 tons more than in the same period of the previous year.</p> <p>During this period, the top five producing entities in the country were Chihuahua, with 45.6 percent; Sonora, with 25.4 percent; Coahuila, with 12.5 percent; Nuevo Leon, with 7.6 percent, and Hidalgo, with 3.8 percent.The aforementioned states accounted for 95 percent of the domestic production, with 36,679 tons.The remaining five percent was produced by Aguascalientes, Baja California, Mexico City, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Mexico State, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.</p> <p>Between 2015 and 2016 nut production in the state of Chihuahua increased by five times, as it went from 3,473 tons to 17,626 tons.From 2014-2016, the country's nut production average annual growth rate was 26.6 percent, with an average volume (between January and October) of 26,274 tons.The most notable increases during these three year took place in Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, and Puebla.</p> <p>Between 2014 and 2016 (January to October), nut production in the country increased by 102.9 percent, going from 19,050 tons to 38,660 tons.According to statistics from the SIAP, Mexico produced 123,000 tons of nuts in 2015, and the main producing entities were Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila, Durango, and Nuevo Leon.The area devoted to this crop was 113,000 hectares, and the production value was estimated at 8,620 million pesos.The production increases from October to December, and peaks during the last month of the year, when 43.3 percent of this crop is harvested.</p> <p>Globally, Mexico ranks sixth in nut production. The country ranks second in pecan production (which is the country's main nut product) and it is the biggest exporter of this variety. In 2015, nut exports of different varieties amounted to 463 million dollars, 35.4 percent more than in the previous year.Mexico exports nuts to 19 international destinations, such as the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Colombia, Spain, Panama, and Italy, among others.In 2015 Mexico became the main exporter of pecan nuts, as it exported 22,738 tons, which represents 56 percent of the volume traded internationally.</p> <p>According to estimates, Mexico produces 40,824 tons of pecan nuts a year, which is equivalent to 40.1 percent of the total volume grown worldwide.Pecan nuts can be distinguished by their thin shell, which is also called a paper shell, that facilitates the process of opening them. This crop is well known for its flavor and aroma.</p>