Food - Drink
Most Of The World's Plums Come From This Country
By NATASHA BAILEY
The plum is a small but versatile fruit that is part of the Rosaceae family, which also includes apples, peaches, raspberries, and even roses. There are two popular varieties of plums, European (Prunus domestica) and Japanese (Prunus salicina), but just one country grows the most of both of these kinds of plums.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that in 2020, China produced over 7.1 million tons of plums and sloes (a small fruit in the same family). Romania is the second largest producer at just over 835,419 tons, while Serbia is third with about 641,000 tons, with neither number catching up to China.
Plums have been cultivated in China for over 2,000 years, but they grow all over the world in countries like Chile, India, and the U.S. The plum is not as old as some other fruits, like olives and figs, but there is proof of plum stones being found in ancient Germany, Ukraine, and Cyprus that could date back to 4000 to 2500 B.C.E.