Now that we are halfway through the year, Jesús de la Riva, president of Ciruelas Chile A.G., notes that lower prices in the fresh market and uncertainty in China continue to tip the balance toward prune production. India is emerging as one of the sector’s main growth opportunities.
Now that the harvest season is well behind us and producers are beginning to tally their accounts, the overall picture for Chilean fresh plums shows relatively stable volumes, although with lower returns than those seen in the prune business, says Jesús de la Riva.
“Volumes were relatively stable compared to the previous year. The same goes for fruit sizes, although there may have been a slight decrease. In terms of production, it was a fairly similar season,” he said.
However, the main factor influencing producers’ behavior was the market performance of both sectors.
“Prices for dried fruit have been favorable for producers, thus many chose to allocate a larger proportion of their fruit to that segment and reduce the volume of fresh fruit for export,” he explained.
According to De la Riva, although statistics show a slight increase in fresh fruit exports, there was less pressure from exporters on producers to secure fruit during the season.
Added to this was the uncertainty stemming from China, the main destination for fresh Chilean D’Agen plums. “China had already been showing signs of a decline in some fruit categories, especially due to the situation observed with cherries, and that also created uncertainty for plums,” he noted.
According to industry figures, Chilean exports of fresh D’Agen plums reached nearly 49,000 metric tons during the 2025/26 season, with China remaining the predominant destination, accounting for more than 95% of shipments.
It is also worth noting that Ciruelas Chile participated in the signing of a new Clean Production Agreement (APL) for the implementation of the Sustainability Standard for the prune industry, which took place a couple of weeks ago in Santa Cruz.
(pictured: Jesús de la Riva signing the agreement).
Challenges Posed by the Asian Giant
Although China remains the leading buyer of both fresh and dried fruit, the industry leader acknowledges that there is concern regarding the self-sufficiency plans being promoted by the Asian giant.
“We know that China aims to meet nearly 50% of its future demand for prunes domestically. If that does indeed happen, it could have a significant impact on Chile and the entire export industry,” he said. Currently, China accounts for about one-third of Chile’s prune exports.
Given this situation, Jesús de la Riva believes it is essential to strengthen competitiveness and accelerate market diversification. “We have to remain competitive in the markets where we already operate and, at the same time, take another hard look at destinations like India, which represents a tremendous opportunity for the industry,” he says.
“We have a strong production, an internationally recognized quality, and many markets to continue developing. The industry is stable, has good prospects, and we expect it to continue growing over the next few years,” he concluded.
Chile is currently the world’s leading exporter of prunes and one of the most significant players in the international trade of fresh plums, supplying more than 70 markets across five continents. Currently, more than 70% of national production is concentrated in the O’Higgins Region, particularly in the province of Colchagua.
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In the photo on the side: Jesús de la Riva is pictured in the center, alongside Pedro Pablo Díaz and Pedro Acuña, president and executive director of Chileprunes, respectively.
