The European plum originated from the Caucasus, and the Japanese plum from China. Seven million tons are produced in the world, and the main producing country is China. Spain produces around 150,000t.

The common European plum probably originated from the region around the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, later spreading towards Europe and Asia. The Japanese plum tree is original from China, although it spread from its culture in Japan. According to the first writings in which the plum is mentioned, the species has an antiquity of at least 2,000 years. The main producing country is China, with great difference, followed by the U.S.A., Rumania, former Yugoslavia, Germany and all the countries with tempered and subtropical climate.

The world production is:

Continent	Thousand tons	%
Africa	191	3
Asia	3,618	49
Europe	2,456	4
North America	745	10
Oceania	29	-
South America	304	4
Total	7,343	100

Source: Fresh Produce Desk Book (1999)

The main producing countries in each continent are:

Country	Thousand tons
China	2,717
USA	850
Yugoslavia	480
Germany	416
France	210F(*)
Spain	150
Chile	150
Morocco	41
Portugal	18F
England	16F

Source: FAO Production Yearbook (1998)
(*) F: FAO’s estimated value.

The world produces around 7,000,000 tons of plums and Spain is one of the main producers in the European Union. The following table shows the surface and production in different Spanish areas:

Area	Hectares	Tons
Región de Murcia	3,798	49,891
Comunidad Valenciana	8,178	36,241
Andalucía	2,023	20,057
Aragón	1,552	7,783
Cataluña	826	7,327
Castilla-La Mancha	1,622	6,800
Extremadura	772	4,732
La Rioja	805	3,907
Total	19,576	136,738

Source: La Horticultura Española (2001)

In Spain, the imports of plum are not very relevant; they come from South Africa and Chile. In the last years, exports have increased, oscillating between 45 and 70 million kilos, approximately accounting for 30% of the domestic production. The main destination countries are the United Kingdom and Germany, followed by Italy, France and the Netherlands. Other import countries of Spanish plum are Belgium, Portugal and Brazil.

The European Union exports around 100,000tm and the main exporting countries are Spain (43%), Italy (25%), France (16%) and the Netherlands (9%). The amount imported by the European Union is 135,000tm and the main countries: Germany (33%), the United Kingdom (22%), the Netherlands (14%), France (10%), Belgium (10%) and Italy (5%). (Ctif. Le Mémeto des Fruits et Légumes)