As 2018 gets underway pecan growers and suppliers of North America noticed pecan buying activity has slowed from Chinese buyers. In the western part of the United States Arizona, West Texas, & New Mexico, pecan growers are still harvesting their pecan crop, some growers are still harvesting while others have completed the field work and are cleaning the pecans to make ready for auction, but all growers have noticed the Chinese buying activity slow significantly over the last few weeks. This is however, not a surprise to seasoned growers in the region. Many growers in this region are accustomed to storing their crop for a period after harvest. One grower say’s “this is normal, every year before the [Chinese New Year] festival the Chinese stop buying”. The slowed buying activity from Chinese buyers does have an effect on pecan spot prices, but not much effect on the overall market. As the demand for Pecans from China has grown, so too has the demand for pecans in other countries. The global markets for raw, and flavored pecans has been on a steady growth pattern in multiple countries showing no signs of slowing in the near future. Even though the buying activity has slowed from China, it has not slowed from other buyers, many buyers see this time as an opportunity to find deals at spot market auctions. Buying activity from North American pecan sheller’s has peaked significantly in the last few weeks as most pecan sheller’s do the bulk of their buying activity during this time of year.