Global Tomato Market Splits by Origin as European Seasons Change
Tomato supply and prices are diverging across origins as European growing regions switch seasons, according to FreshPlaza. Dutch and Belgian volumes are recovering with average prices at 1.56 EUR/kg for vine tomatoes, while Sicilian growers are asking 4.20-5.80 EUR/kg amid scarce supply. Spain expects greenhouse area of about 13,500 hectares for 2026/2027, a slight decline.
The global tomato market is showing mixed supply and price signals as European growing regions move through their seasonal changeover, according to FreshPlaza. Volumes are recovering in the Netherlands and Belgium while prices ease, Italy is still working through tight Sicilian supply at elevated price levels, the French domestic season is winding down, and Spain is preparing for larger autumn and winter volumes from mid-October. North American supply remains uneven as several regions sit between crops, with prices above prior years.
Northwest Europe: Volumes Recover, Prices Ease From a High Base
Tomato prices in the Netherlands and Belgium are falling as volumes recover from an extreme summer. Supply of vine tomatoes delivered to the auctions operated by the association of Belgian horticultural cooperatives was higher in week 38 than in 2025, while volumes of loose tomatoes remain lower. Average prices last week stood at 1.56 EUR per kilogram for vine tomatoes and 1.52 EUR per kilogram for loose tomatoes. Both levels remain well above the five-year average, and prices normally firm up heading into autumn.
In Germany, increased supply is weighing on prices, though they remain above year-earlier levels. Dutch and Belgian tomatoes dominated the German market, particularly in the vine segment. The presence of Turkish imports appeared to be increasing, while consignments from Poland, Croatia, Italy and Spain supplemented supply, with domestic tomatoes rounding out the assortment. Demand rose alongside supply and was comfortably met, pushing prices lower across most of the range. Only cherry tomatoes saw occasional increases where quality was good.
Italy: Sicilian Scarcity Pushes Prices to Unsustainable Levels
The Italian market remains difficult, with limited volumes and high prices keeping pressure on trade. In Sicily, the country's leading production region, volumes are currently relatively low because only a limited number of growers planted in early summer for harvest at this time of year. Volumes are expected to rise gradually through October, with the harvest reaching full capacity in early November.
According to a wholesaler in northern Italy cited by FreshPlaza, Sicilian growers are currently asking between 4.20 EUR per kilogram for Piccadilly tomatoes and 5.80 EUR per kilogram for Datterino varieties. Prices in Lazio are roughly 1.50 EUR per kilogram below that, with slightly lower quality but larger volumes available. The same wholesaler described the resulting retail chain as untenable: a grower price of 5 EUR per kilogram implies at least 6 EUR to the retailer, who must then sell at 7-8 EUR per kilogram to consumers.
Purchase behaviour is shifting toward more frequent, smaller baskets — around 0.6 kilograms for packaged tomatoes versus 0.9 kilograms for loose produce. Supermarkets and discounters remain the main distribution channels for the category, with already high penetration rates still rising. Italian tomato consumption peaks between May and July.
France and Spain: Season End Meets Rising Competition
The French market is entering the final phase of its domestic season, with activity slowing after exceptionally high prices in early September. Prices have since settled at more seasonal levels, though the market remains highly volatile with significant daily swings. Quality suffered under summer heatwaves and drought, pushing larger volumes into lower grades. Over the next 10 to 15 days, rising volumes from Morocco and Spain are expected to intensify competition on French and European markets as seasonal demand eases into winter.
Most southern Spanish planting for the autumn and winter season took place between August and mid-September, with significant export volumes expected from around 15-20 October. Greenhouse tomato area for the 2026/2027 season is estimated at around 13,500 hectares, a slight year-on-year decline in the autumn and winter cycles after a season of high prices but very low yields.
- Tomatoes still carry the highest per-hectare cultivation costs in the horticultural sector, driven by labour, inputs and pest control, pushing some growers toward lower-cost crops such as aubergines.
- Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) is among the sector's biggest threats, cutting yields per hectare and significantly reducing fruit size.
- Export seasons have shortened in recent years, ending around April instead of late June to early July, while qualified labour is harder to find.
- Andalusia accounts for 75% of national production, led by Almeria and Granada; about 15% of area is in Murcia, with the remainder spread across the Canary Islands, the Valencia region and other areas.
North America and South Africa
Supply across North America remains unevenly distributed. Alongside consignments from various US regions, Canada and Mexico are also shipping. Weather conditions including heat and rain in Mexico have left supply from that origin tighter than usual. Overall availability is average, with harvests in several regions either transitioning or ending, and quality under close observation. Prices are higher than in previous years. In South Africa, recent cold and rainy weather has reduced supply, while demand for lower-quality and smaller-sized tomatoes has declined.
