Market evolution: Dried vegetables (CN 0712) — 2015–2025
Introduction
This report examines the evolution of EU trade in dried vegetables (Customs code 0712) over the period 2015–2025. The product heading covers dried onions, various mushroom types (including Agaricus, wood ears, jelly fungi, and shiitake), and a broader residual category of other dried vegetables and mixtures. The EU has consistently been a net importer of these products throughout the decade, with the trade deficit widening from approximately –€220 million in 2015 to –€292 million in 2025. Over the same period, EU domestic production volumes more than doubled, rising from 235,417 tonnes to 618,968 tonnes. The following sections identify and interpret three overarching dynamics that shaped this market over the decade.
1. Rising import dependence driven by China's expanding market share
1.1 China's dominance over EU import flows
The most striking structural shift in the EU's dried vegetable trade is the growing centrality of China as a supplier. In 2015, China accounted for imports worth €136 million; by 2025 this figure had risen to €251 million — an increase of 83.9% (top import partners). India also contributed meaningfully, growing from €46 million to €79 million (+70.8%), while Egypt rose from €36 million to €50 million (+40.0%). Together, these three Asian and North African origins increasingly dominated the EU's import basket.
1.2 Decline of traditional Mediterranean and transatlantic suppliers
In contrast, several previously significant suppliers lost ground. Imports from Türkiye fell from €27 million to €13 million (–52.4%), while Tunisia experienced an even steeper decline from €14 million to just €3 million (–78.2%). The United States, once the EU's second-largest source at €38 million, saw its share contract to €22 million (–43.2%). The United Kingdom — following Brexit — dropped from €16 million to €11 million (–31.1%). This dual trend of Asian growth and Mediterranean/Western decline has materially reconfigured the EU's sourcing geography.
1.3 Increasing import concentration heightens supply-chain risk
The convergence of these partner-level trends is captured in the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) for import value, which rose from 1,856 in 2015 to 2,889 in 2025 — an increase of 55.7%. This level is considered moderately concentrated, and the upward trajectory signals a growing vulnerability: the EU's dried vegetable supply chain has become more exposed to disruptions originating from a small number of large suppliers. The net import reliance ratio confirms this concern, edging up from 16.1% to 19.7% over the decade.
2. A premium repositioning of EU exports, with declining volumes but rising unit values
2.1 Export value growth masks falling volumes
While EU imports grew in both value and volume, the export story is more nuanced. Total export value rose from €150 million to €212 million (+41.1%), yet export quantities actually declined from 44,057 tonnes to 30,595 tonnes (–30.6%). This divergence is explained by a dramatic increase in average export prices, which surged from €3,414 per tonne in 2015 to €6,937 per tonne in 2025 — a 103.2% rise. The EU appears to be increasingly exporting higher-value, more processed or specialty dried vegetables, while losing competitiveness in bulk or lower-margin segments.
2.2 Key destination shifts: the United States as a growth engine
The United States emerged as the EU's fastest-growing export market, nearly doubling from €28 million to €56 million (+99.4%). Japan similarly grew from €5.3 million to €9.6 million (+83.4%), and Norway from €4.0 million to €6.6 million (+66.3%). The United Kingdom, the EU's single largest export destination, remained stable at roughly €40 million. These patterns suggest that the EU's export repositioning is resonating particularly in high-income, quality-sensitive markets.
2.3 Member-state specialisation in Eastern and Southern Europe
Not all EU members contributed equally to this export transformation. The specialisation analysis reveals that Poland, Spain, Hungary, Croatia, and Latvia have developed revealed comparative advantages (RCA > 1.5) in dried vegetable exports. Poland's exports grew 85.2% to €28 million, Hungary's doubled to €20 million, and Spain rose 46.3% to €14 million. By contrast, traditional Western European hubs like the Netherlands saw exports decline from €22 million to €14 million (–37.5%). This eastward shift reflects both cost competitiveness and the growing role of Central and Eastern Europe as agri-food processing hubs.
3. Product-level segmentation: dominance of residual vegetables and onions, with emerging niche mushroom imports
3.1 The "other vegetables" category (071290) drives overall trade flows
Within the product segment breakdown, subheading 071290 — covering dried vegetables and mixtures other than onions and mushrooms — accounts for the largest share of both imports and exports. In 2025, imports of 071290 reached 88,439 tonnes (€291 million), while exports stood at 23,158 tonnes (€156 million). The import unit price for this category rose from €2,463/t in 2015 to €3,286/t in 2025, while the export price climbed from €4,057/t to €6,724/t — consistent with the broader premiumisation trend.
3.2 Dried onions (071220): stable import volumes but collapsing exports
Dried onions represent the second-largest segment. Import volumes were relatively stable at 42,000–44,000 tonnes through most of the period, before climbing to 55,192 tonnes in 2025. Export volumes, however, tell a different story: they fell from 15,301 tonnes in 2015 to just 6,172 tonnes in 2025 (–59.6%), even as export prices more than doubled from €1,391/t to €3,987/t. This suggests the EU is losing its position as a bulk onion exporter while maintaining or expanding its role as an importer and re-exporter of value-added onion products.
3.3 Specialty mushrooms: high unit values and emerging shiitake imports
The mushroom subcategories (071231–071234) display distinct dynamics. Traditional Agaricus mushroom imports (071231) declined in volume from 629 to 323 tonnes, with value falling from €7.2 million to €3.3 million. Shiitake imports (071234) — a subheading only reported from 2022 onward — grew rapidly to 744 tonnes and €6.0 million by 2025, signalling growing EU demand for East Asian culinary ingredients. Notably, the EU's Agaricus exports collapsed from 12,081 tonnes in 2020 to just 338 tonnes in 2025, a dramatic structural break likely linked to supply-chain reconfigurations. Wood ears (071232) and jelly fungi (071233) remain niche products with relatively small trade volumes but consistently high unit prices (€7,000–€14,000/t and €9,000–€90,000/t respectively on the export side).
Conclusion
The EU's dried vegetable market over 2015–2025 has been shaped by three converging dynamics. First, the import side has become increasingly concentrated around China and a handful of Asian and North African suppliers, raising strategic supply-chain risks. Second, EU exports have shifted toward a premium model — fewer tonnes but at much higher prices — with the United States, Japan, and Central/Eastern European producers driving growth. Third, product-level analysis reveals a stable backbone of "other dried vegetables" and onions, alongside emerging demand for specialty Asian mushrooms like shiitake.
The widening trade deficit (–€220 million to –€292 million), combined with a rising net import reliance ratio (16.1% to 19.7%), suggests that domestic production growth — though impressive in percentage terms (+162.9% in volume) — has not kept pace with consumption. Meanwhile, the doubling of export prices points to a successful, if partial, repositioning of EU exporters in higher-value market segments. Looking forward, the EU's key challenge will be to diversify its import base to mitigate concentration risk while continuing to leverage its processing strengths in premium export markets.
Market evolution: Dried vegetables (CN 0712) — 2015–2025
Introduction
This report examines the evolution of EU trade in dried vegetables (Customs code 0712) over the period 2015–2025. The product heading covers dried onions, various mushroom types (including Agaricus, wood ears, jelly fungi, and shiitake), and a broader residual category of other dried vegetables and mixtures. The EU has consistently been a net importer of these products throughout the decade, with the trade deficit widening from approximately –€220 million in 2015 to –€292 million in 2025. Over the same period, EU domestic production volumes more than doubled, rising from 235,417 tonnes to 618,968 tonnes. The following sections identify and interpret three overarching dynamics that shaped this market over the decade.
1. Rising import dependence driven by China's expanding market share
1.1 China's dominance over EU import flows
The most striking structural shift in the EU's dried vegetable trade is the growing centrality of China as a supplier. In 2015, China accounted for imports worth €136 million; by 2025 this figure had risen to €251 million — an increase of 83.9% (top import partners). India also contributed meaningfully, growing from €46 million to €79 million (+70.8%), while Egypt rose from €36 million to €50 million (+40.0%). Together, these three Asian and North African origins increasingly dominated the EU's import basket.
1.2 Decline of traditional Mediterranean and transatlantic suppliers
In contrast, several previously significant suppliers lost ground. Imports from Türkiye fell from €27 million to €13 million (–52.4%), while Tunisia experienced an even steeper decline from €14 million to just €3 million (–78.2%). The United States, once the EU's second-largest source at €38 million, saw its share contract to €22 million (–43.2%). The United Kingdom — following Brexit — dropped from €16 million to €11 million (–31.1%). This dual trend of Asian growth and Mediterranean/Western decline has materially reconfigured the EU's sourcing geography.
1.3 Increasing import concentration heightens supply-chain risk
The convergence of these partner-level trends is captured in the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) for import value, which rose from 1,856 in 2015 to 2,889 in 2025 — an increase of 55.7%. This level is considered moderately concentrated, and the upward trajectory signals a growing vulnerability: the EU's dried vegetable supply chain has become more exposed to disruptions originating from a small number of large suppliers. The net import reliance ratio confirms this concern, edging up from 16.1% to 19.7% over the decade.
2. A premium repositioning of EU exports, with declining volumes but rising unit values
2.1 Export value growth masks falling volumes
While EU imports grew in both value and volume, the export story is more nuanced. Total export value rose from €150 million to €212 million (+41.1%), yet export quantities actually declined from 44,057 tonnes to 30,595 tonnes (–30.6%). This divergence is explained by a dramatic increase in average export prices, which surged from €3,414 per tonne in 2015 to €6,937 per tonne in 2025 — a 103.2% rise. The EU appears to be increasingly exporting higher-value, more processed or specialty dried vegetables, while losing competitiveness in bulk or lower-margin segments.
2.2 Key destination shifts: the United States as a growth engine
The United States emerged as the EU's fastest-growing export market, nearly doubling from €28 million to €56 million (+99.4%). Japan similarly grew from €5.3 million to €9.6 million (+83.4%), and Norway from €4.0 million to €6.6 million (+66.3%). The United Kingdom, the EU's single largest export destination, remained stable at roughly €40 million. These patterns suggest that the EU's export repositioning is resonating particularly in high-income, quality-sensitive markets.
2.3 Member-state specialisation in Eastern and Southern Europe
Not all EU members contributed equally to this export transformation. The specialisation analysis reveals that Poland, Spain, Hungary, Croatia, and Latvia have developed revealed comparative advantages (RCA > 1.5) in dried vegetable exports. Poland's exports grew 85.2% to €28 million, Hungary's doubled to €20 million, and Spain rose 46.3% to €14 million. By contrast, traditional Western European hubs like the Netherlands saw exports decline from €22 million to €14 million (–37.5%). This eastward shift reflects both cost competitiveness and the growing role of Central and Eastern Europe as agri-food processing hubs.
3. Product-level segmentation: dominance of residual vegetables and onions, with emerging niche mushroom imports
3.1 The "other vegetables" category (071290) drives overall trade flows
Within the product segment breakdown, subheading 071290 — covering dried vegetables and mixtures other than onions and mushrooms — accounts for the largest share of both imports and exports. In 2025, imports of 071290 reached 88,439 tonnes (€291 million), while exports stood at 23,158 tonnes (€156 million). The import unit price for this category rose from €2,463/t in 2015 to €3,286/t in 2025, while the export price climbed from €4,057/t to €6,724/t — consistent with the broader premiumisation trend.
3.2 Dried onions (071220): stable import volumes but collapsing exports
Dried onions represent the second-largest segment. Import volumes were relatively stable at 42,000–44,000 tonnes through most of the period, before climbing to 55,192 tonnes in 2025. Export volumes, however, tell a different story: they fell from 15,301 tonnes in 2015 to just 6,172 tonnes in 2025 (–59.6%), even as export prices more than doubled from €1,391/t to €3,987/t. This suggests the EU is losing its position as a bulk onion exporter while maintaining or expanding its role as an importer and re-exporter of value-added onion products.
3.3 Specialty mushrooms: high unit values and emerging shiitake imports
The mushroom subcategories (071231–071234) display distinct dynamics. Traditional Agaricus mushroom imports (071231) declined in volume from 629 to 323 tonnes, with value falling from €7.2 million to €3.3 million. Shiitake imports (071234) — a subheading only reported from 2022 onward — grew rapidly to 744 tonnes and €6.0 million by 2025, signalling growing EU demand for East Asian culinary ingredients. Notably, the EU's Agaricus exports collapsed from 12,081 tonnes in 2020 to just 338 tonnes in 2025, a dramatic structural break likely linked to supply-chain reconfigurations. Wood ears (071232) and jelly fungi (071233) remain niche products with relatively small trade volumes but consistently high unit prices (€7,000–€14,000/t and €9,000–€90,000/t respectively on the export side).
Conclusion
The EU's dried vegetable market over 2015–2025 has been shaped by three converging dynamics. First, the import side has become increasingly concentrated around China and a handful of Asian and North African suppliers, raising strategic supply-chain risks. Second, EU exports have shifted toward a premium model — fewer tonnes but at much higher prices — with the United States, Japan, and Central/Eastern European producers driving growth. Third, product-level analysis reveals a stable backbone of "other dried vegetables" and onions, alongside emerging demand for specialty Asian mushrooms like shiitake.
The widening trade deficit (–€220 million to –€292 million), combined with a rising net import reliance ratio (16.1% to 19.7%), suggests that domestic production growth — though impressive in percentage terms (+162.9% in volume) — has not kept pace with consumption. Meanwhile, the doubling of export prices points to a successful, if partial, repositioning of EU exporters in higher-value market segments. Looking forward, the EU's key challenge will be to diversify its import base to mitigate concentration risk while continuing to leverage its processing strengths in premium export markets.