Total value of the harvest estimated at about USD 3.3 billion
According to data collected by the World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC), with plausible assumptions for the countries whose price negotiations are still ongoing at the time of writing this article, the reference prices for “tomato” raw materials for the 2020 season show a slight upward trend a few weeks before the start of the harvest. The value levels presented below only have an indicative value, and they are likely to change in the coming weeks. These projections cannot yet integrate the many different ways in which prices are determined according to quality parameters, delivery conditions and schedules, early or late payment incentives, payment methods, and other practices specific to each country or even to individual companies.
The values presented for California and for southern Italy are hypotheses based on the exchange of proposals published by the CTGA in its 13 December 2019 bulletin, and on the price proposals issued by the ANICAV dated 22 June 2020 (see articles in the appendix). The global average is a weighted average based on processing intentions recorded by the WPTC on 12 June 2020.
This estimate, which can be refined when the final reference prices are known, currently shows a 2 to 3% increase in the global average value of tomato as a raw material, at around USD 85 per metric tonne, indicates a certain optimism that is observable in particular within the European processing industries. If confirmed, this increase would be the fourth consecutive one since 2016 and would increase the estimated value of the overall processing tomato harvest in 2020 to around USD 3.3 billion (or EUR 3 billion).
Some complementary data
The 2020 season confirms that European prices are among the highest in the world, with first place undoubtedly going to tomatoes grown in northern Italy.
Evolution of the global average price since 2008
Source: WPTC
