GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW TOMATOES

In Germany, increased availability is putting downward pressure on prices, although levels remain above last year. North American supply remains mixed as several regions transition between crops, while prices are higher than in previous years. In South Africa, recent cold and rainy conditions have reduced supply, while demand for lower-grade and smaller tomatoes has declined.Netherlands/Belgium: Supply recovers as prices declineTomato prices are declining, while volumes are recovering following the extreme summer. The volume of vine tomatoes supplied to auctions operated by the Association of Belgian Horticultural Cooperatives was higher in week 38 than in 2025. However, supplies of loose tomatoes remain lower.The average price per kilogram last week was €1.56 for vine tomatoes and €1.52 for loose tomatoes. Tomato prices therefore remain well above the five-year average. Normally, tomato prices increase towards autumn.Italy: Sicilian volumes remain limitedItaly's tomato market remains challenging, with limited supplies and high prices continuing to put pressure on trade. Sicily, the country's leading tomato-growing region, is currently seeing relatively low volumes, as only a limited number of growers transplanted crops in early summer for harvest at this time of year. As a result, Sicilian supplies remain tight for the time being. Volumes are expected to increase gradually throughout October, with the crop reaching full capacity by early November.According to a wholesaler in northern Italy, Sicilian growers are currently asking between €4.20 per kg for Piccadilly tomatoes and €5.80 per kg for Datterino (plum) varieties. "Prices in Lazio are around €1.50 per kg lower. The quality is slightly lower as well, but prices are more reasonable, and larger volumes are available. Consumers are simply not prepared to pay such high prices for tomatoes. If a grower asks €5 per kg, the wholesaler needs to charge the retailer at least €6, while the retailer then has to sell them to consumers at €7-8 per kg. These price levels are unsustainable, particularly given the current economic climate."Despite the current market situation, tomatoes continue to play a key role in Italian household fruit and vegetable purchases. According to YouGov data, 93% of Italian households buy tomatoes. Packaged tomatoes are purchased slightly more frequently, averaging almost 14 purchasing occasions per household per year. One factor behind this higher frequency is the smaller quantity purchased on each occasion: around 0.6 kg for packaged tomatoes, compared with 0.9 kg for loose produce. From a retail perspective, supermarkets and discount stores remain the main sales channels for the category, with already high penetration rates continuing to grow. While tomatoes remain a year-round staple in Italian shopping baskets, consumption shows a clear seasonal pattern, with demand reaching its highest levels between May and July.France: Domestic season nears endThe French tomato market is entering the final stage of the domestic growing season, with activity slowing after exceptionally high prices at the beginning of September. Prices have since eased to more seasonal levels, although the market remains highly volatile, with considerable day-to-day fluctuations.Quality has also been affected by summer heatwaves and drought, resulting in increased volumes being downgraded or sold in lower categories. Over the next 10 to 15 days, rising supplies from Morocco and Spain are expected to increase competition in French and European markets, while seasonal demand is likely to weaken as winter approaches.Spain: Greenhouse tomato area declines slightlyMost tomato plantings in southern Spain for the autumn and winter season took place between August and mid-September, with significant volumes expected to become available for export from around October 15–20. For the 2026/2027 season, the greenhouse tomato area is estimated at around 13,500 hectares, representing a slight decrease compared with the previous year in the autumn and winter cycles, following a season of high prices but very low yields.Tomatoes continue to have the highest per-hectare growing costs in the horticultural sector due to labour, inputs, and pest control. This is encouraging some growers to diversify into crops with lower structural costs, such as aubergines. However, good farm-gate prices during the final months of the previous season have prevented a larger decline. Growing competition from third countries such as Morocco and Turkey is also contributing to tighter margins and continues to limit expansion of the cultivated area.Regarding tomato diseases, ToBRFV (Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus) is currently one of the main threats to the sector overall, causing lower yields per hectare and a significant reduction in fruit size. Export tomato seasons have become shorter in recent years, shifting from an end between late June and early July to around April, while finding qualified labour is becoming increasingly difficult. Spain continues to lose ground in the loose and truss tomato segments due to competitive pressure from Morocco and Turkey, while increasingly focusing on plum tomatoes and specialty varieties.Andalusia accounts for 75% of national output, led by Almeria and Granada. Around 15% of the cultivated area is located in the Region of Murcia, with the remainder distributed across various areas, including the Canary Islands, the Valencian Community, and others.Germany: Increased supply pressures pricesDutch and Belgian tomatoes dominated the German market, particularly in the vine tomato segment. The presence of Turkish imports appeared to be increasing, while shipments from Poland, Croatia, Italy, and Spain supplemented supply. Domestic tomatoes rounded out the range.Availability increased, while demand also grew and was met without difficulty. As a result of the higher supply, prices often trended downward. Only cherry tomatoes occasionally recorded price increases, provided they were of good quality. Across the range, prices remain significantly higher than at the same time last year.North America: Mixed supply supports higher pricesTomato supply remains scattered across North America. Alongside supply from various regions of the U.S., Canada and Mexico are also supplying tomatoes. Weather conditions, including heat and rain in Mexico, have left availability from there tighter than usual.Overall supply is average, with crops either between seasons or coming to an end in different regions, resulting in mixed availability. Quality is also being closely monitored.Demand is average, with stores focusing more on promoting fall items such as apples. However, demand is expected to pick up towards the end of September and into October as local tomato crops begin to wrap up. In November, weather permitting, Florida cultivation will get underway again.Prices have been higher than in previous years due to limited supply and demand dynamics, as well as high fuel prices. Growers and shippers say they have not seen the type of higher pricing experienced by the tomato industry over the past six months in a long time.India: Wholesale prices rise as arrivals increaseTomato prices have risen sharply at Mumbai wholesale APMC in recent days, reaching €0.20/kg in week 39, up from €0.13/kg in the previous week. Daily arrivals also increased, although volumes and prices remain variable across APMC markets nationally.India also has an established export market for fresh tomatoes, with shipments concentrated mainly in neighbouring and regional markets such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, the UAE, and Bhutan.The export channel remains relevant when domestic output exceeds what the local market can absorb. For now, however, domestic arrivals and availability remain the main factors influencing prices in the local market.Morocco: Water shortages pressure tomato cropTomato growers in Morocco's Souss Massa region are facing another difficult campaign, according to a growers' representative. Despite high dam reserves following the end of the drought, water shortages persist due to delayed pipeline repairs at the Youssef Ben Tachfine dam and recurring outages at the Chtouka Ait Baha desalination plant. This is forcing many growers to rely on costly water tankers and increasing irrigation water salinity, particularly in Chtouka and Taroudant. Higher conductivity is prompting growers to compensate with more intensive nutrition programs.Hot winds and thermal shocks have added to the pressure, damaging young plants and requiring misting interventions, while round tomato acreage has again contracted by 10-15% for agronomic and commercial reasons. As a result, the winter tomato cycle is expected to start 10 to 15 days later than the usual early October timeline, with early clusters already showing issues with size uniformity and lower yields.South Africa: Demand for lower grades declinesRecent cold and rainy spring conditions have caused a dip in tomato supply, which had been very strong until about two weeks ago, according to a Limpopo grower.The average price is €0.3 per kilogram at the Johannesburg municipal market.Recent xenophobic violence and the forced expulsion of Africans from neighbouring countries have markedly reduced demand for lower-quality and smaller tomatoes, for which there are now fewer buyers on the market. Demand for classes 2 and 3 has declined considerably, while tomato sales in general have slowed.Informal street sellers had for years absorbed smaller quantities of tomatoes, supporting food security among the poor in the process. However, as those shops have now disappeared, the loss of these outlets is pulling down the entire tomato market.Next Topic: AvocadosPublication date: Fri 25 Sep 2026© FreshPlaza.com / Stefan Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen