Prunes: Chile wants to open up new markets

March 30, 2023 at 10:30 AM , Der AUDITOR
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SANTIAGO. During the 10th EXPO Ciruelas Secas, experts announced expansion plans to open up new markets for Chilean prune exports. Meanwhile, the European spot market faced some price corrections.

Orientation towards the Far East

On 22 March 2023, Chileprunes, the Chilean association for processors and exporters of prunes, hosted the 10th EXPO Ciruelas Secas after a three-year Covid hiatus, gathering growers, processors and exporters from Chile, with some guests from the Argentine prune sector also in attendance.

In his speech, Pedro Pablo Díaz, president of Chileprunes, announced that in addition to supplying the markets already tapped - first and foremost China, Mexico and Europe - another country was of enormous interest and had great sales potential: India. In recent years, Chilean exporters had succeeded in expanding their sales markets from 70 to 81 countries. Chile, as the largest prune exporter, has many opportunities because other main growing countries like the USA and France sell a large part of their production in the domestic market. In addition, China in particular has shown increased interest in fresh plums from Chile in recent years, with 98% of exports going there.

Germany's prune imports remained largely stable between September 2022 and January 2023. However, imports from Chile increased by 60% year-on-year to 5,188 mt, and shipments from Serbia also increased by 83% to 864 mt during this period. At the same time, imports from countries such as the USA (-38% to 2,297 mt), France (-44% to 564 mt) and the Netherlands (-41% to 519 mt) declined significantly.

Prune* imports, Germany, in mt

Supplier

2021/22

2022/23

Diff.

Chile

3.242

5.188

60,0%

USA

3.701

2.297

-37,9%

Serbia

471

864

83,4%

France

1.003

564

-43,8%

Netherlands

875

519

-40,7%

Turkey

386

309

-19,9%

Uzbekistan

209

237

13,4%

Poland

140

128

-8,6%

Others

904

791

-12,5%

Total

10.931

10.897

-0,3%

Federal Statistical Office of Germany / Sep-Jan

*08132000 Dried prunes

Price reductions

Over the past four weeks, Chilean prune prices have continued to fall on the European spot market. Unpitted prunes have lost up to EUR 0.20/kg and the 40/50 size is currently offered at a price of EUR 4.35/kg FCA Spain on the European spot market. Chilean prunes, pitted, 40/60 are currently at EUR 4.85/kg FCA Spain and thus also EUR 0.20/kg below the price of the last weeks.

Prunes, Chile

Type

EUR/kg

Unpitted, 30/40

4.70

Unpitted, 40/50

4.35

Unpitted, 40/60

4.15

Pitted, 40/50

5.15

Pitted, 40/60

4.85

Pitted, 50/60

4.80

FCA Spain

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