Brazil Nut Shortage?

Question

I have not seen any Brazil Nuts in the shops this Christmas. Is there a shortage of them, and if so, why? Thanks for any answers.

Answer 1

there is a beetle that lays its larva on the tree and eats the nuts

Answer 2

Brazil nuts for international trade come entirely from wild collection rather than from farms. This has been touted as a model for generating income from a tropical forest without destroying it.
Analysis of tree ages in areas that are harvested show that moderate and intense gathering takes so many seeds that not enough are left to replace older trees as they die. Sites with light gathering activities had many young trees, while sites with intense gathering practices had hardly any young trees.
Statistical tests were done to determine what environmental factors could be contributing to the lack of younger trees. The most consistent effect was found to be the level of gathering activity at a particular site. A computer model predicting the size of trees where people picked all the nuts matched the tree size data that was gathered from physical sites that had heavy harvesting.

Brazil nuts only produce fruit in virgin forests, as forests that are not virgin usually lack an orchid that is indirectly responsible for the pollination of the flowers. The orchids produce a scent that attracts small male long-tongued orchid bees (Euglossa spp), as the male bees need that scent to attract females. Without the orchid, the bees cannot mate, and therefore the lack of bees means the fruit do not get pollinated. The Brazil Nut tree's yellow flowers can only be pollinated by an insect strong enough to lift the coiled hood on the flower and with tongues long enough to negotiate the complex coiled flower. The large female long-tongued orchid bee pollinates the Brazil Nut tree. If both the orchids and the bees are present, the fruit takes 14 months to mature after pollination of the flowers, and is a large capsule 10–15 cm diameter resembling a coconut endocarp in size and weighing up to 2 kg. It has a hard, woody shell 8–12 mm thick, and inside contains 8–24 triangular seeds 4–5 cm long (Brazil nuts) packed like the segments of an orange; it is not a true nut in the botanical sense. The capsule contains a small hole at one end, which enables large rodents like the Agouti to gnaw open the capsule. They then eat some of the nuts inside while burying others for later use; some of these are able to germinate to produce new Brazil Nut trees. Most of the seeds are "planted" by the Agoutis in shady places, and the young saplings may have to wait years, in a state of dormancy, for a tree to fall and sunlight to reach it. It is not until then that it starts growing again. Capuchin monkeys have been reported to open Brazil nuts using a stone as an anvil.

Answer 3

There is definitely a shortage because my uncle has just bought about one billion boxes of Brazil Nuts. He loves them. Especially the chocolate kind. But do not worry, He will probably return most of the boxes because he gets a stomach ache after eating only three boxes of Brazil Nuts. Hang in there!

Answer 4

There is a problem with Brazil nuts in the UK. The EU has decreed, wait for it, *If you eat 100 Brazil nut shells they will make you ill*, therefore only shelled nuts are avilable. And as they go rancid very quickly it causes a shortage.
Some crook must have a greasy finger in the jar to come up with that gem and stands to make a mint from it.

Answer 5

The harvest has been poor again this year. Most brazils get processed and there are none left for the UK "nuts in shells" market. You can buy shelled brazils at Holland and Barrett, though you don't get the thrill of pinching your hand in the nutcrackers.

Answer 6

They have them at trader joes. I never noticed a shortage.

Answer 7

Not sure, but i have heard there is a shortage of dates fron abroad this xmas.

Answer 8

yes they are in short supply the EU put a ban on them because there was some tree disease - can you believe we were discussing this on Christmas day! of all things

Answer 9

I would presume that Brazil keeps them in mental institutions, just as we do here.

Answer 10

Its cause santa and the elves stole them to ruin hanukah