Annually, 700 million tonnes of plums are sold, with an export value of 650 million Euro. Chile and Spain are two major export countries, with an export of (in a normal year) over 110 million tonnes. South Africa is the world's third exporter, but it is by far the most important supplier to the Netherlands. The Netherlands is the fourth importer of plums worldwide; the bulk of the import is re-exported again. The Dutch plum import reached a peak in the years 2007-2009. The import from EU countries went down to less than 10,000 tonnes.
In 2014, Chilean export declined sharply due to a failed harvest; in a number of former Soviet republics, the harvest and export were disappointing in 2014, causing a temporary end to the steady growth of the global plum trade. The export trend for many countries is rising, with Spain and South Africa being examples, and Greece for the smaller exporters.
Region-wise, trade among EU countries is the most important, but in the past, this trade was bigger than it is now. Export from countries in the southern hemisphere comes next, but the failed harvest in Chile caused a lapse in 2014, after a record year in 2013. Trade from EU countries to third countries increased again in 2014, after the dip in 2013. Former Soviet republics are also important now as a group.
Belarus also takes up a separate position in the plum trade, with a strong growth in import and export in 2014 (to Russia). Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany are the main import countries. The British and German import are past their peak, and the increase of Russian import came to a halt last year, following the boycott.
Otherwise, it's difficult to discover a trend in the development of the various import countries. Leaving the extraordinary year of 2014 aside, some countries can be denoted as growing markets, namely: Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.
The export season for countries in the southern hemisphere runs from December until May; countries in the northern hemisphere export plums in the months of May until November, with a peak from July until September. Because the Netherlands is a transit country for southern hemisphere plums, the import peak in the Netherlands falls in the January-April period. On the list of exporters, transit country the Netherlands takes eighth place (2014). In a normal year, over 15,000 tonnes of the import stays in the Netherlands.
The production of plums in the Netherlands is modest. The acreage has decreased significantly, but seems to have stabilized at around 250 ha now. The export of Dutch plums is very modest, over 70 tonnes in 2014. Dutch production, with less than 5,000 tonnes, is very small. Chile produces more than 300,000 tonnes each year, and countries like Spain and France both produce 150-200,000 tonnes.
