Fruit, edible; prunes, dried

HS code 081320 covers the import and export of dried prunes, a popular fruit product with a long history of use in various cuisines and food products around the world. Prunes are a significant agricultural commodity, with global production and trade playing an important role in the broader food and beverage industry. This code is of interest to a wide range of stakeholders, from farmers and processors to importers, exporters, and consumers.

Prunes are produced by drying fresh plums, typically through a combination of natural and artificial methods. The plums are first harvested, then washed and pitted. They are then either sun-dried or dehydrated using controlled heat and air flow. The drying process concentrates the natural sugars in the fruit, giving prunes their distinctive sweet flavor and chewy texture.

The primary inputs for the prune industry include fresh plums, which are the raw material. Producers also require access to land, water, and equipment for harvesting, processing, and packaging the dried fruit. Energy sources such as fuel or electricity are needed to power the dehydration equipment. Labor is another key input, with workers required for tasks like picking, sorting, and packing the prunes.

Dried prunes produced under HS code 081320 have a wide range of applications. They are commonly consumed as a snack food or used as an ingredient in baked goods, cereals, and other food products. Prunes may also be further processed into prune juice or other value-added items. The outputs of this industry are likely to be consumed by a variety of other 200600 (Vegetables, fruit, nuts, fruit-peel and other parts of plants, preserved by sugar (drained, glace or crystallized)) and 200799 Jams, fruit jellies, marmalades, fruit or nut puree and fruit or nut pastes, obtained by cooking, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter industries.