MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Pecans are a staple for pies and other dishes around the holidays. This year, you could spend more on these southern delights in supermarkets and online due to a major price hike.
Jack Hall, Owner of Jack Hall’s Pecans, says, “Oklahoma is a big pecan producer. Oklahoma doesn't have any pecans. Texas is bone dry.”
Extreme drought and wild fires are to blame for the shortage and a big price hike nationwide. One Georgia pecan supplier estimates that pecans could cost up to $11.00 per pound.
“It was $9.50 per pound to buy 1,000 pounds of shelled pecans in one load,” says Hall.
Each year, Hall buys up to 20,000 pounds of pecans from growers in the west to get him started. The western crops harvest faster than the pecan crop in the Mid-South. Because the crop is so small out west this year, Hall decided to buy from local pecan growers to keep his prices from going up.
“This year in West Tennessee," he tells abc24.com, "we've got one of the best crops we've seen in years.”
He doesn't fear running out of pecans this holiday, even though his pecan prices are low compared to the nationwide estimated price. Pecans at Jack Hall’s Pecans will run from $3.50 to $4.50 per pound.
