In Brussels, a customs ledger can make a quiet market look loud. The latest European Union trade figures describe a nut business pulling in more value across a broad mix of crops, even as some familiar categories soften.
The EU imported fresh and dried nuts worth EUR 4.2 billion, or about USD 4.9 billion, during the first half of 2026, according to official customs statistics reported by Mundus Agri. That is a record for the period, and it gives growers outside Europe another price signal to read alongside their own crop reports and contracts.
A Wider Nut Basket
The increase was spread across pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, and macadamias. Kola nuts were also included in the customs picture, a small reminder that the European import market is less a single lane than a busy yard with several gates.
Pine nuts show how value and volume can part company. EU buyers imported less of the crop while spending a record amount on it so far this year, leaving suppliers in China facing cautious international customers despite the higher spending. The pine-nut trade report points to a market where the invoice alone does not explain buyer behavior.
The Categories Losing Ground
The same customs data showed less encouraging results for almonds, walnuts, and peanuts. That divergence matters because a strong top-line import number can conceal very different conditions at the crop level: one nut may be gaining shelf space while another is negotiating from a weaker position.
Cashews add another layer of friction. Shipments from West Africa have been affected by quality concerns and delays, while prices in Vietnam and India have been moving in the same direction; EU countries imported 8.5% more cashew kernels in the first half of 2026, according to a separate Mundus Agri market report.
Macadamias are carrying their own uncertainty. The Australian Macadamia Society revised its 2026 crop forecast lower than its March estimate, with yields varying by region, while EU imports of the nut have risen significantly, as Mundus Agri reported in July.
For specialty-crop growers, the practical concern is competition from imported nuts that can arrive when local inventories are being priced or new-crop contracts are being discussed. A record European import market may create openings for some suppliers, but it can also give buyers more alternatives when they negotiate with domestic growers.