The price at the origin of Almeria's tomatoes has recovered, "but it has yet to truly take off," says Almerian producer Julián Rodríguez. "The heat we're experiencing is too intense. Last weekend, we almost hit 30 degrees Celsius, and we see that the plants are under a lot of stress and are excessively dropping their production."
Thanks to lower Moroccan exports, 2024 started with an average price of around €1.24/kg, according to data from the Andalusian Regional Government, but in the early months of the season, the price of Almeria's product has experienced a sharp drop at origin, hitting an average of €0.43/kg in week 4.
According to figures shared by the European Commission, Morocco's tomato exports saw year-on-year decreases of 39.1% in October, 22.9% in November, and even 9.5% in December 2023. However, volumes in January increased by 16.4% compared to the same month last year, while the Netherlands was also supplying its tomatoes grown with artificial light, putting considerable pressure on the prices of Spanish tomatoes at the peak of the season's production.
"With the cold of the past weeks, we thought the harvest would be more staggered, but at this time, it is not. The plants have already been topped, leaving about 6-7 nodes, and for now, all we can do is hope that the price situation will improve as the plants continue yielding production until May."
"The average is what matters, and we hope the final result will be positive"
This situation in the supply during the first part of the season has led to Andalusian tomato exports being reduced by 19% in terms of volume between September and December, yet the value has increased by 12% compared to the previous campaign.
January data, provisionally released by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, reveal that, compared to January 2023, in January 2024, Andalusian tomato exports increased by 9.3% in terms of volume and by 10.8% in terms of value. Now, we'll need to wait for the figures that will be made public in the coming months in order to know how the market supply in February and March has affected Andalusian producers and marketers.
In week 10, the average price at the origin of tomatoes has improved and reached €0.60/kg, although tomatoes on the vine have significantly exceeded the weighted average. The sector also expects the Moroccan supply to start falling after the production peak has been left behind. "If the price continues like this, we could have a very good average of 0.90-0.97 €/kg. It would have been better if the prices we had at the start of the campaign had continued for longer, but the average is what matters, and we hope the final result will be positive for all growers," says Julián.