Free of charge

Pine nuts: added to the list of strategic goods

May 11, 2023 at 11:05 AM , Der AUDITOR
Play report as audio

BEIJING/MOSCOW. The Russian Ministry of Justice has launched a bill to add Korean pine nuts to the list of strategically important goods.

Smuggling to be stopped

The majority of the world's harvested pine nut crop takes place in China (2022: 25,000 mt) and Russia (2022: 35,000 mt). Nevertheless, Russia has problems with illegal imports of in-shell pine nuts from Korea (2022: 20,000 mt), which is also in the upper echelons of pine nut producers. As a result, the Russian Ministry of Justice has now launched a draft that would add Korean pine nuts to the list of strategically important goods. "The proposed amendments will make it possible to bring to justice those who illegally transport Korean in-shell pine nuts worth more than 1 million roubles across the border of the Russian Federation," the report says. Regular commercial trade with Korean pine nuts would not be affected, the Justice Ministry stressed. The aim is to ensure the protection of the cedar forests and the animals living there and to prevent smuggling activities in order to promote legal trade.

Meanwhile, export prices for Chinese pine nuts dropped significantly at the end of 2022. In the meantime, they had reached a level of more than USD 30/kg; current quotations for Pinus sibirica, 950 pcs./100 g are around USD 18.65/kg CFR EMP.

Pine nuts, China

Type

USD/kg

Red, 650 pcs./100 g

26.65

Pinus sibirica, 950 pcs./100 g

18.65

CFR EMP

EU imports almost 10,000 mt of pine nuts

In addition to China and Russia, the EU imports pine nuts mainly from Turkey and Mongolia. The import of unshelled pine nuts, at just over 200 mt, is of little significance here; the majority of imports are shelled pine nuts. In total, the EU imported 9,607 mt of shelled pine nuts worth EUR 230.26 million in 2022. The average import price was EUR 23.97/kg. At 6,879 mt, more than two-thirds of imports into the EU came from China, followed by Russia and Turkey with 1,773 mt and 408 mt each.

Pine nut* imports, EU, 2022

Supplier

mt

Mio. EUR

EUR/kg

China

6,879

161.13

23.42

Russia

1,773

39.04

22.02

Turkey

408

18.88

46.27

Mongolia

302

6.07

20.11

Pakistan

105

2.49

23.73

Others

140

2.64

-

Total

9,607

230.26

23.97

European Commission / Eurostat (Comext)

*08029200 Fresh or dried pine nuts, shelled

*Due to a change in the HS code for pine nuts from 2021 to 2022, a direct year-on-year comparison is currently not possible.

View more
price charts for pine nuts from China
price chart for nuts, oilseeds and grains and many more products

View related articles

Go to the News Overview
Nuts
Jan 23, 2026
SANTIAGO. According to Chilenut’s most recent shipment report the volume of shelled walnuts clearly exceeded the volume of inshell walnuts exported in December. Asia no longer is the top destination for inshells. Europe still is the largest buyer for shelled walnuts.
Nuts
Jan 22, 2026
ORDU. Exporters are highlighting with shock that shipments have fallen to 1980s levels for hazelnuts. Turkey has also lost valuable market shares in the EU. Prices have shifted.
Nuts
Jan 22, 2026
TEHRAN. Trading companies in Iran are living in a nightmare. Communication is not even possible with team members. Prospects were already challenging for pistachios before the current crisis unfolded in the country.
Nuts
Jan 21, 2026
BRUSSELS/TOMSK. EU countries maintained their pine nut imports in 2025 at a similar level to last year. Global production, however, declined by around 28%.