Dry fruits and nuts · guide
India ranks 28 of 96 exporters in the fruit and nut chapter, with $1.7B of chapter exports. That is a modest position in a chapter led by much larger origins, so an Indian exporter should pick products and buyers deliberately rather than sell everything to everyone.
| Market | Imports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $26.0B | 2024 |
| China | $20.2B | 2024 |
| Germany | $13.3B | 2024 |
| Netherlands | $8.5B | 2024 |
| United Kingdom | $7.2B | 2024 |
| France | $7.0B | 2024 |
| Market | Exports | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $16.4B | 2024 |
| Spain | $11.2B | 2024 |
| Mexico | $9.5B | 2024 |
| Chile | $9.3B | 2024 |
| Netherlands | $8.8B | 2024 |
| China | $7.2B | 2024 |
Figures are for the whole of HS chapter 08 (edible fruit and nuts). Source: UN Comtrade.
India’s chapter 08 exports are $1.7B, ranking it 28 of 96 exporters. Chapter 08 is edible fruit and nuts, so the number includes fresh fruit as well as dry fruits and nuts and does not isolate any one product. The leading exporters in the chapter are the United States at $16.4B, Spain at $11.2B, Mexico at $9.5B, Chile at $9.3B, the Netherlands at $8.8B and China at $7.2B, several of them exporters of large volumes of fresh fruit that India does not compete with directly.
For a dry-fruit exporter the better question is which specific lines India can supply competitively and reliably. Cashew nuts, with in-shell nuts under 080131 and shelled kernels under 080132, are the obvious example of a line an Indian processor can build a business on, alongside raisins under 080620 and, depending on your sourcing, dates under 080410 or figs under 080420. Several other nuts on the list, such as almonds or pistachios, are often sourced by Indian traders from abroad and re-exported or sold domestically, so check whether you are exporting your own product or re-exporting, because the paperwork and origin declaration differ.
The largest importers in chapter 08 are the United States at $26.0B, China at $20.2B, Germany at $13.3B, the Netherlands at $8.5B, the United Kingdom at $7.2B and France at $7.0B. These are big totals, but they include a large volume of fresh fruit and a share of re-export traffic, notably through the Netherlands, so an importer there may be buying for another market.
For an Indian exporter, that suggests two tracks. One is direct sales to end-market processors and packers in the largest economies, which demand audited facilities, laboratory reports and steady supply. The other is sales to importers and distributors in a re-export hub who can take mixed lots and pay on shorter terms. Customs shipment records for your product code show which consignees already receive Indian goods, which is more useful than a country total.
The general sequence applies to any Indian food exporter, and specifics should be confirmed with the relevant authorities and export promotion councils. Food-grade nuts and dried fruit are judged on hygiene and traceability from the moment a buyer asks for a facility audit.
Indian dry-fruit exporters either process their own raw material, as cashew processors do, or buy graded product from processors and packers. Either way the buyer sees only your specification. State the variety, form, size grade, defect tolerance, moisture and crop year, and be able to meet it lot after lot. Inconsistency between the sample and the container is the most frequent cause of lost repeat orders.
Sort, grade and pack in a clean, dry facility with pest control and controlled storage. Ask your suppliers for their records, and keep lot-level traceability from purchase to container so that a complaint can be traced back to a batch.
Nuts and dried fruit absorb moisture, and many Indian ports and inland routes are humid for parts of the year. Use food-grade liners inside cartons, vacuum or gas-flushed packs where the buyer wants longer shelf life, and dry product only. On a sea voyage, a container loaded with warm goods can develop condensation, so ask the forwarder about desiccant or liner options, and consider a temperature-controlled container for premium shelled nuts on long lanes.
Keep the goods away from strongly scented cargo, since dried fruit and nuts take up odours. Fumigation or treatment may be requested by some destinations, and separately for wooden pallets, so ask the importer before you finalise packing.
Work out the cost per usable kilogram, not per kilogram purchased. Shelling, sorting and grading remove weight, and the cost of testing and packing is spread over what is left. Add inland haulage, port charges and freight, and then decide which Incoterm to offer. Free on board at an Indian port is a clean handover for a first sale, and cost, insurance and freight suits a buyer who wants one delivered figure at the cost of freight risk on you.
For new buyers prefer a letter of credit or a substantial advance, and write into the contract who samples the lot, which laboratory and method decides quality disputes, and what happens to a lot that fails testing.
Search customs shipment records for your code, which gives consignee names, quantities, declared values and origins for real shipments, then build a shortlist of importers who buy your kind of product in lot sizes you can meet. Approach them with a specification sheet, photographs of the packed goods, laboratory results and your certificate set. The free marketplace on this site lets you post the same offer for importers who search by product. Confirm current export rules for your product with the trade authority before you commit to a forward contract.
India ranks 28 of 96 exporters in chapter 08, edible fruit and nuts, with $1.7B of chapter exports. The figure covers fresh fruit too, so it does not measure dry fruit and nut exports alone.
Cashew nuts in shell are 080131 and shelled cashew nuts are 080132, both in heading 0801. Raisins are 080620 in heading 0806. The exporting country then adds its own national digits.
In chapter 08 the largest importers are the United States at $26.0B, China at $20.2B, Germany at $13.3B, the Netherlands at $8.5B, the United Kingdom at $7.2B and France at $7.0B. Some of that is re-export trade.
Ship only dry, cool product in food-grade liners, ask the forwarder about desiccant or liner options for humid lanes and, for premium shelled nuts, consider a temperature-controlled container. Avoid loading warm goods into a sealed container.
Buyers commonly require moisture, aflatoxin and residue tests on each lot, even where no law demands them. Ask the importer for its parameters and methods, and test the exact lot that will be shipped.
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