THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE OF SHELLED FRUIT: A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORK APPROACH

This paper aims to present an overview on the trade of the main species shelled fruit (Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pistachios and Walnuts) fresh or dried, with reference to the main producing Countries and geographical areas. The analyzed data refer to the period from 2002 until today, during which occurred new competitive scenarios generated by evolution of the consumption patterns, which influenced the growth and development of the shelled fruit sector. For doing this, in this paper, the network analysis approach has been used to understand the structure and the dynamics involved in the shelled fruit trade taking place between the main producing countries on a global level. The representation of international trading of shelled fruit as a network is a useful tool to understand and measure phenomena such as the globalization of the trading of shelled fruit between countries. The results show that the main producing countries have - in the last fifteen years - increased their trading of shelled fruit on "global" scales.