Prunes: Chile's production to rise by 20% until 2030
November 11, 2025 at 4:55 PM ,
Der AUDITOR
Growing acreage
The Chilean prune sector has enormous development potential. Currently, all indications are that annual production will increase in the short and medium term. Plum trees are currently being grown in nurseries to refresh existing plantations. Meanwhile, new projects are also planned. Experts therefore expect Chilean prune production to grow by around 20% over the next five years. By 2023, an estimated 16,500 hectares of European plums used for prune production are expected to be cultivated. Currently, the acreage for this variety is 13,500 hectares, of which 10,000 hectares are located in the centre of the country in the O'Higgins region, accounting for more than 70% of the total area. A European plum tree takes about three to four years to reach full maturity and remains productive for about 20-25 years.
José Tomás Quezada, managing director of Agrícola Siemel, is optimistic but realistic about the future of the Chilean plum industry. “The supply of prunes could grow around 20% in the coming years. The business remains attractive, but requires a long-term view: being sustainable, searching for new markets, strengthening marketing channels, developing innovative presentations and standardising quality are key factors in maintaining profitability,” he says.
In 2025, Chile achieved a prune production of 112,500 mt, of which 14,000 mt (dried fruit equivalent) were table prunes and the remaining 98,500 mt were used for the dried fruit sector.
EU imports remain above last year's level
In the first ten months of this year (1 January to 9 November 2025), the EU imported a total of 32,487 mt of prunes worth EUR 107.698 million from third countries, representing a 6% increase in import volume compared to last year. However, the import value fell by 1.4% due to the lower average price. At EUR 3.32/kg, the average import price during this period was significantly lower than last year (EUR 3.46/kg).
Shipments from Chile increased significantly, with EU imports at 18,529 mt around 7.7% above last year's volume. Imports from Serbia and Uzbekistan also increased. In contrast, exports from the USA, Argentina and Moldova were significantly lower.
Germany imported around 7,100 mt of prunes in the above-mentioned period, which is 74% more than at this time last year. While shipments to Poland also increased (+13.2% to 3,940 mt), Spain (-8.6% to 4,460 mt), Italy (-8.7% to 3,990 mt) and the Netherlands (-31% to 2,180 mt) recorded a decline in imports.
Chilean Elliot prunes were recently offered on the European spot market at prices of EUR 2.89/kg FCA Poland.
|
EU prune imports, in mt |
|||
|
Partner |
2024 |
2025 |
Diff. |
|
Chile |
17,203 |
18,529 |
7.7% |
|
USA |
3,913 |
3,454 |
-11.7% |
|
Argentina |
3,103 |
2,751 |
-11.3% |
|
Moldova |
2,844 |
2,595 |
-8.8% |
|
Serbia |
1,690 |
2,172 |
28.5% |
|
Uzbekistan |
815 |
1,434 |
76.0% |
|
Turkey |
610 |
869 |
42.5% |
|
Others |
476 |
683 |
43.5% |
|
Total |
30,654 |
32,487 |
6.0% |
|
DG AGRI TAXUD Customs Surveillance System, 01/01-09/11 08132000 Dried prunes |
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