Italy limits tomato processing in response to low prices

By Niamh Michail

- Last updated on GMT

© iStock
© iStock

Related tags Italy Tomato

The price of Italian processed tomatoes has fallen 15% year on year due to a glut in supply leading industry to tighten supplies, according to Mintec data.

As a result of the low prices, industry is reducing operations for 2016/2017 in a bid to limit supply and raise the price. The next season will see 2.5 million tonnes of tomatoes sent for processing compared to 2015/2016, equivalent to 6% less.

The glut in supply is a result of favourable weather conditions which have produced a bumper crop. This is despite reports of dry weather conditions in some of the growing regions, said the data company.

"This situation cannot but cause concern,”​ said Giovanni De Angelis, general manager of the Associazione Nazionale Industriali Conserve Alimentari Vegetali (ANICAV), Italy’s National Association of Vegetable Preserves.

“Better planning is needed for the next campaign in 2016 to balance the market. If not it would be at risk the sustainability of the entire sector and with it the commitments and investments that the sector parties are adopting to ensure the largest distribution and consumer products with high quality standards."

ANICAV’s member companies are responsible for processing one quarter of Europe’s processed tomato output and half of all Italian output.

California is by far the world’s biggest tomato producer for processing with 11.5 million metric tonnes in 2015, according to figures​ from the World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC).

Italy was the second biggest producer until 2014, when it was overtaken by China.

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