Indirect trade hides the scale of U.S. fruit and nut sales to Romania

Romania’s imports of U.S.-origin fruit, vegetable and nut products were far higher in 2025 than direct export figures alone indicate, according to a new USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report.

The gap is especially clear in tree nuts, sweet potatoes, cranberries, groundnuts, fruit preparations and juices. Many of these products did not move straight from the United States to Romania, but entered the EU through established distribution hubs before being re-exported to the Romanian market.

Tree nuts

Tree nuts were the strongest fruit-and-nut segment in the report. U.S. Census Bureau data recorded $3.4 million in direct U.S. tree nut exports to Romania in 2025, while Romania’s National Institute of Statistics put total U.S.-origin tree nut imports at $18.5 million.

That means around $15.1 million, or 82% of the trade, reached Romania indirectly.

Pistachios accounted for most of the value. Romania imported $12.9 million worth of U.S.-origin pistachios in 2025, compared with $1.23 million shown in direct U.S. export data. About 90% of pistachio trade was therefore routed through other EU countries.

Almonds showed a smaller gap but remained significant. Direct U.S. exports reached $2.04 million, while Romanian import data showed $2.97 million, leaving 31% of the trade outside direct shipment statistics.

Sweet potatoes and vegetables

Vegetable trade also appears understated in direct U.S. data. Romania recorded $788,630 in U.S.-origin sweet potato imports in 2025, while direct U.S. export data showed no shipments to the country.

The same pattern appeared in fresh or chilled potatoes, where Romania reported $143,830 in U.S.-origin imports, all routed indirectly. Dried vegetables reached $788,097 in Romanian import data, compared with only $4,000 in direct U.S. export figures, meaning 99% of the trade moved through intermediate EU channels.

USDA said U.S. sweet potatoes are shipped to Romania mainly through Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. It also noted that strong competition and weaker consumer purchasing power weighed on some categories, including sweet potatoes and almonds, in 2025.

Fruit preparations and juices

Prepared fruit, nuts and other edible plant parts reached $4.29 million in Romanian import data in 2025, far above the $254,000 recorded in direct U.S. exports. Indirect trade accounted for $4.03 million, or 94% of the total.

Groundnuts were a clear example. Romania recorded $1.01 million in prepared groundnut imports and $412,883 in raw groundnuts from the United States, with both categories moving entirely through other EU member states before reaching the Romanian market.

Cranberries also showed a split between direct and indirect flows. Prepared cranberries reached $372,353, compared with $254,000 in direct U.S. exports, while raw cranberries were reported at $54,165 and appeared entirely in indirect trade data.

Fruit juices followed the same pattern: Romania recorded $495,562 in U.S.-origin imports, while direct U.S. export data showed no shipments.

Distribution hubs

The report points to Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Belgium as key entry points for U.S. goods before they are shipped onward to Romania. For fruit, vegetable and nut suppliers, this suggests that Romanian demand is not fully visible in direct U.S. export statistics.

Romania may be a larger market for U.S. nuts, sweet potatoes, fruit preparations and juices than direct data implies, but much of that demand is served through EU distributors rather than direct bilateral trade.

Read the full report here.

source and grapics: fas.usda.gov