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Walnuts: India holds back

February 17, 2026 at 11:11 AM , Der AUDITOR
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SANTIAGO. ChileNut’s latest shipment report for walnuts shows impressive rises. Asia with India as top destination no longer is the most important buyer of inshells. Europe has stepped up demand for shelled walnuts.

Sharp uptake of inshell walnuts in Middle East

Monthly inshell walnut exports dipped by 2% to 349 mt in January as opposed to the 355 mt shipped in January last year. Total exports for the season have, however, surged by 26%. Yet shipments to India as leading destination have declined by 17%. As ChileNut highlights this is in line with the trend perceived in the past two years. While total shipments to India still stood at 50,000 mt in January 2024, they took a major hit to just under 35,000 mt in January 2025. As shipments to Asia have decreased by 15% to 30,496 mt this season as compared with the same period in 2024/2025, the region no longer is the most important destination for Chile.

By contrast, exports to Turkey have recovered again and now stand 62% higher than last year. Exports to the United Arab Emirates have even surged more than tenfold. In fact, the Middle East/Africa is the most important export destination for Chile this season as shipments to here have more than doubled to 34,899 mt as compared with the 17,015 mt registered in the same period in 2024/2025.

Italy, Spain and especially Germany are also showing impressive uprises in inshell shipments. Chile’s exports to Europe have, in fact, risen by 32% to 23,856 mt this season. Peru is the only country from South America featuring in amongst the top ten. Exports to here have only risen by a moderate 3% with America as a whole showing a 7% rise in shipments to 2,231 mt.

Walnut exports, Chile, inshell (mt)

Destination

2024/25

2025/26

Diff.

India

33,968

28,185

-17.0%

Turkey

10,606

17,189

62.1%

UAE

1,289

14,551

1,028.9%

Italy

8,384

10,596

26.4%

Spain

3,145

4,146

31.8%

Germany

1,378

3,855

179.8%

Morocco

3,969

1,563

-60.7%

Vietnam

146

1,138

679.5%

Peru

1,093

1,130

3.4%

Lithuania

1,625

1,038

-36.1%

Others

7,220

8,091

12.1%

Total

72,823

91,482

25.6%

ChileNut, 21/03-31/01

Europe steps up demand for in-shell walnuts

Monthly shelled walnut exports surged by 47% to 1,570 mt in January as compared with the 1,065 mt recorded in January last year. Europe has remained the top destination for shelled walnuts this season so far and is displaying a 42% rise to 31,418 mt as compared with the same period in 2024/2025. The top 10 chart also mainly features European countries with the Netherlands and Germany showing stunning rises. By contrast, exports to Spain have fallen by 11%.

Shipments to America range 10% lower than last season at 4,292 mt with Brazil as top importer of Chilean walnuts. Exports to Brazil have, in fact, risen by 8%.

Shipments to the Middle East/Africa have risen by 26% to 1,625 mt with the United Arab Emirates most notably displaying a 22% rise. Exports to Asia have only risen by 2% and stand at 704 mt.

Walnut exports, Chile, shelled (mt)

Destination

2024/25

2025/26

Diff.

Netherlands

3,019

7,910

162.0%

Germany

3,609

7,061

95.6%

Spain

5,343

4,783

-10.5%

Italy

3,208

3,846

19.9%

Brazil

2,018

2,187

8.4%

France

1,773

1,966

10.9%

Portugal

589

820

39.2%

UK

757

921

21.7%

UAE

565

688

21.8%

Switzerland

610

656

7.5%

Others

7,374

7,201

-2.3%

Total

28,865

38,039

31.8%

ChileNut, 21/03-31/01

 

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