GLOBAL EXPORT MARKET REVIEW WITH DR GODWIN OYEFESO ON TOMATOES
Spain: Fall tomato season closes with higher average prices
Spain’s fall tomato season is nearing completion, with average prices reaching €0.96/kg, higher than last season. Spring tomatoes from Guadix and Zafarraya will extend marketing into summer, aided by resistant varieties.
The Spanish fall season is in its final stretch. Regarding tomatoes, approximately 75% of the production has been harvested. The provisional balance through March shows that tomatoes rank as the third most highly valued product, after peppers and eggplants, reaching €0.96/kg, compared to €0.85/kg at the same time during the 2023/24 season, according to data from the Andalusian Regional Government.
“We’re almost at the end of the fall campaign,” notes a farmer from the largest tomato cooperative in Almería. “I think we’ll be completely finished in about two weeks, including the beefsteak tomatoes that went into production a couple of months ago. However, this year we’re going to have plenty of spring tomatoes in about 70 hectares of greenhouses in the Guadix and Zafarraya areas. This way, we’ll be able to continue marketing into the summer, and we’ll be able to do so thanks to the rugose virus-resistant varieties.”
“For spring, some crops have been affected, but in general, the performance of the rugose virus-resistant varieties has been very good so far.”
Italy: Sicilian tomato season stable with lower virus pressure
The Sicilian tomato season in Italy has remained steady, with lower virus pressure leading to better yields. Prices for cherry, Datterino, and Piccadilly tomatoes remain stable, though competition from other European regions is expected to intensify.
The Sicilian table tomato campaign began with the first harvests in November 2024 and has so far progressed in a steady and balanced manner. Prices have remained stable compared to the previous year, with cherry tomatoes averaging between €1.60 and €1.70 per kilo. Datterino tomatoes are fetching higher prices, around €2.50/kg, while Piccadilly tomatoes are averaging approximately €2.30/kg.
On the phytosanitary front, there’s encouraging news: pressure from ToBRFV—the feared tomato brown rugose fruit virus—has been lower than in previous years, leading to better yields than those recorded during the 2023/24 season.
Looking at international competition, Turkey remains a growing presence, but this year it hasn’t significantly impacted the market. The situation is different for Spain, which has scaled back its winter tomato production in favor of the spring-summer cycle. This shift will lead to a greater influx of products in the coming months, coinciding with arrivals from Northern Italy and other European countries, raising concerns about potential market overlaps and congestion.