W21: Tomato Update

In W21 in the tomato landscape, the European Commission's tomato dashboard shows that while tomato prices declined in the Netherlands more than normal in April 2023, prices experienced an overall increase in the EU. The tomato market has been resilient, aided by energy sales, but prices are still high, leading to concerns about consumption. The average price of tomatoes in April 2023 in the Netherlands was USD 2.61/kg, USD 0.32/kg above the five-year maximum price due to the mild spring, making it difficult for growers to make up lost kilos later in the season. Azerbaijan exported 24,491KT of tomatoes in Q1 2023, 22.9% less than in January-March 2022. The total value of exported tomatoes is estimated at USD 31.169M with Russia being the primary importer. From January to March 2023, 23.427KT of tomatoes, or 95.7% of all exports, were sent to the Russian Federation for a total of USD 28.984M.

There is an unusually high import volume of cucumbers and tomatoes in the 2022/23 off-season due to issues with local high tunnels and greenhouses. Open-field production dominates the market in only three months in Georgia. Morocco is now exporting more tomatoes abroad than Spain, with Morocco exporting 21.34% more than Spain in 2022. This is due to strong growth in the area used for its production and a reduction in the tons available for sale. In many areas of Nigeria, the price of tomatoes is very high, with prices ranging from USD 36.92 and USD 43.43 to USD 86.87 and USD 97.72. The cost of the tomatoes increased to USD 152.02/basket in some areas due to the high demand.

High air temperatures in Uzbekistan cause greenhouse complexes to interrupt production, reduce exports, and dry cucumbers and tomatoes in open fields. A solution is being discussed at an international conference tomorrow. Further, the Quarantine and Plant Protection Agency denied reports of a dangerous virus in Uzbekistan's tomatoes, and negotiations were held between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Ibrahim Begasilov confirmed that the brown wrinkle virus was not detected in the 43T of tomatoes imported from Uzbekistan. The Russian Ministry of Agriculture has completed its work on a draft decree that proposes to increase the quota for tomato exports from Turkey to Russia from 350KT to 500KT. It is in response to the downing of the Russian Su-24 fighter jet in November 2015, which banned the import of various food products from Turkey from November 2017.