Dried Fruit

Prunes: optimistic estimates

February 22, 2023 at 4:40 PM, Der AUDITOR
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SANTIAGO. Chilean prune exporters are optimistic that the new year could be more successful than the last ones. Germany was already able to significantly increase its imports from Chile again last year.

Germany increases imports by 60%

The years 2021 and 2022 were marked by logistical hurdles and overshadowed by high prices, but these circumstances have now been overcome, according to Víctor Bezanilla, the owner of Agrícola La Palma. Chile, along with the USA, is by far one of the most important prune exporters in the world. Interruptions in the supply chain can therefore have serious consequences for market players. Furthermore, it is "an industry with very small margins, low profitability, and flat global consumption in recent years, despite recent discoveries that highlight prunes as a superfood", says Bezanilla.

Germany's prune imports, however, actually increased slightly in 2022 (+1% to 9,962 mt). Even more: imports from Chile rose by 60% year-on-year to 4,586 mt, and shipments from Serbia also doubled during this period. At the same time, imports from countries such as the USA (-33% to 2,223 mt), France (-48% to 489 mt) and the Netherlands (-41% to 488 mt) fell significantly. According to data from the Office of Agrarian Studies and Policies (Odepa), Chile exported a total of 67,000 mt of prunes worth USD 256 million in 2022, with the main buyers being China (11,582 mt), Mexico (6,677 mt) and the UK (5,295 mt).

Prune* imports, Germany, in mt

Supplier

2021

2022

Diff.

Chile

2,860

4,586

60.3%

USA

3,331

2,223

-33.3%

Serbia

406

822

102.5%

France

938

489

-47.9%

Netherlands

829

488

-41.1%

Others

1,506

1,354

-10.1%

Total

9,870

9,962

0.9%

Federal Statistical Office of Germany / Jan-Dec

*08132000 Dried prunes

Slight downward trend

Prices for Chilean prunes have fallen slightly in recent weeks. Unpitted prunes have lost up to EUR 0.05/kg and the size 40/50 is currently offered on the European spot market at a price of EUR 4.55/kg FCA Spain. Chilean prunes, pitted, 40/60 are even EUR 0.15/kg below the price of the last weeks at EUR 5.05/kg FCA Spain.

Prunes, Chile

Type

EUR/kg

Unpitted, 30/40

4.95

Unpitted, 40/50

4.55

Unpitted, 40/60

4.35

Pitted, 40/50

5.30

Pitted, 40/60

5.05

Pitted, 50/60

4.95

FCA Spain

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