Prunes: early start to the season
January 20, 2026 at 9:26 AM ,
Der AUDITOR
Chile remains the leading prune producer
The EXPO Ciruelas Secas 2026 will take place in March. Among the national speakers is Juan Pablo Sotomayor, technical manager at Frutexsa and one of the leading experts on the prune business in Chile and worldwide.
Chile remains the world's leading producer and exporter of prunes, according to Sotomayor in a recent report by Chileprunes. In 2025, the country's total prune production amounted to 114,000 mt. Production is expected to increase by around 4-5% in 2026. While Chile continues to increase its production, the opposite trend can be observed in other important countries of origin. Production is declining in Argentina. Crops in California and France were also lower in August 2025 than in previous years, according to Sotomayor. No official figures are currently available for China, although it is known that the acreage there has expanded significantly in recent years.
Early start to harvest
Sotomayor also points out that this year's season is entering the ripening phase about five days earlier than usual. Harvesting is therefore expected to begin in the first week of February. This early start to the season is characteristic of almost all Chilean fruits. For example, cherries and peaches could also be harvested earlier this season.
Slight price increase at the end of the season
Chilean prunes, Elliott, are currently being offered on the European spot market at a level of EUR 2.91/kg FCA Poland, which corresponds to a slight upward movement compared to previous months. The Ashlock variety is currently available at prices of EUR 3.62/kg FCA.
|
Prunes, Chile |
|
|
Type |
EUR/kg |
|
Ashlock |
3,62 |
|
Elliott |
2,91 |
|
FCA Poland, 10 kg box |
|
58% of EU imports come from Chile
German imports of prunes rose significantly between January and October 2025. A total of 8,722 mt were imported, representing an increase of 53.4% over the same period last year. At 4,760 mt, well over half of the shipments came from Chile, followed by the USA (21.2%), France (5.8%) and Turkey (3.7%).
According to preliminary data from the European Commission, EU countries imported a total of 39,215 mt of prunes worth EUR 131.212 million from third countries in 2025, bringing the average import price to EUR 3.34/kg. Here too, Chile (22,842 mt) and the USA (3,659 mt) are the leading suppliers, followed by Argentina (3,565 mt), Moldova (3,297 mt) and Serbia (2,536 mt). The main consumer countries in the EU are Germany (8,580 mt), Spain (5,5650 mt) and Italy (4,750 mt).
|
Prune imports, Germany, in mt |
|||
|
Supplier |
2024 |
2025 |
Diff. |
|
Chile |
3,058 |
4,760 |
55.7% |
|
USA |
1,019 |
1,849 |
81.5% |
|
France |
449 |
508 |
13.1% |
|
Turkey |
104 |
327 |
214.4% |
|
Poland |
81 |
253 |
212.3% |
|
Uzbekistan |
108 |
165 |
52.8% |
|
Bulgaria |
114 |
163 |
43.0% |
|
Serbia |
367 |
130 |
-64.6% |
|
Argentina |
155 |
124 |
-20.0% |
|
Moldova |
3 |
116 |
3.766.7% |
|
Andere |
227 |
327 |
44.1% |
|
Gesamt |
5,685 |
8,722 |
53.4% |
|
Federal Statistical Office of Germany / Jan-Oct 08132000 Dried prunes |
|||
View more
- price charts
View related articles
