DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF COMMODITIES

• NUTS AND DERIVED PRODUCTS (Note)
• BRAZIL NUTS
• CASHEW NUTS
• CHESTNUTS
• ALMONDS
• WALNUTS
• PISTACHIOS
• KOLA NUTS
• HAZELNUTS (FILBERTS)
• ARECA NUTS
• NUTS NES

Tree NUTS are dry fruits or kernels enclosed in woody shells or hard husks, which in turn are generally covered by a thick, fleshy/fibrous outer husk that is removed during harvest. Similar products, such as groundnuts, sunflower seeds and melon seeds, although often used for similar purposes, are included with oil-bearing crops (see Chapter 6.).

FAO includes in this group only dessert or table nuts. Nuts that are used mainly for flavouring beverages and masticatory and stimulant nuts should be excluded. An exception is made for areca nuts and kola nuts, which FAO considers to be inedible nuts, but which are included with the nut and derived products group to be consistent with international trade classifications. Nuts used mainly for the extraction of oil or butter, (e.g. sheanuts) as well as nuts contained in other fruits (e.g. peaches) are excluded.

It should be noted that some countries report certain nut crops (chestnuts, pignolia nuts) with forestry products.

Production data relate to the weight of nuts in the shell or husk, but without the outer husk. The weight of the kernel contained in the nut ranges from as low as 30 percent for cashew nuts to as high as 80 percent in the case of chestnuts. The edible portion of nut kernels is, with the major exception of chestnuts, very rich in fat content at between 50 percent and 65 percent. Protein content makes up 15-20 percent and carbohydrate content is between 10 percent and 15 percent. Starch and saccharose are the main components of dry chestnuts, accounting for about 75 percent.

FAO covers ten primary nut crops. Each is listed below along with its code, its botanical name, or names, and a short description.

NUT PRODUCTS include shelled nuts, whole or split, and further processed products, including roasted nuts, meal/flour, paste, oil, etc.

Nut oils are not separately identified in the FAO classification; instead they are included under the heading "oil of vegetable origin nes" (see Chapter .). The most commonly marketed oils are almon oil and cashew nut oil and its derivative cardol.