Tomato prices in China are up by at least 10 Yuan ($1.38) per 36 kg box amid a low early harvest.
This is happening even as China expects the volume of processed tomatoes in 2024 to rise above 2023 volumes to 11 million tonnes.
Despite these appetizing estimates, so far the early harvest quantity in May is at a lull. China harvests tomatoes in two waves, the first in May and the next before August. However, 2024’s early harvest in Shanghai and Zhejiang has depreciated after a winter chill affected tomatoes during the fruiting stage.
Even with the oncoming second harvest, farm-gate prices continue at a pricey 2.2 to 2.4 Yuan ($0.30-0.33) per kg.
Bulk merchants of tomatoes in Shanghai are selling a 36 kg box at 95 to 100 Yuan ($13.12-13.81). This is notably 10 to 15 Yuan ($1.38-2.07) higher than spring 2023’s rate.
Flavored Tomatoes Tilt Quantity
Despite the small output of common tomatoes, flavored tomatoes including Provence and Strawberry types are in plenty, according to Shanghai Jiangqiao.
Eastern China’s Zhejiang province is selling the tasty Provence tomatoes at 80 to 85 Yuan ($11.05-11.74) per 20 Kg.
This is even as merchants here are offering Strawberry tomatoes at 60 to 65 Yuan ($8.29-8.98) per 10 kg box.
Historical Summer Tomato Prices in China
Summer is the tomato season and so it is remarkable that prices are higher just before summer 2024 than in 2023.
In 2023, export prices of China’s tomatoes dropped from $1,435 a tonne in March to $788 a tonne in September.
The export price has always been at the threshold of between $799 and 1,030 per tonne between 2017 and 2022. The lower price margin usually occurs in summer months.
China Tomato Statistics
What is China’s rank among the top tomato-producing nations? China is the world’s biggest tomato-producing country at 64.87 million tonnes in 2020. Which are the main tomato-growing provinces in China? Top production areas include the autonomous Xinjiang region in northwest China as well as the provinces of Shanghai, Zhejiang, Qingzhou, Shouguang, Shandong and Yucheng. How much tomatoes are processed in China per year? China’s processing plants utilize between 8 million tonnes (2023) and 11 million tonnes (2024 estimate) of tomatoes to make ketchup and paste. What is the most popular tomato usage in China? Raw or fresh tomatoes for cooking outweigh tomato product usage because pastes are mostly found in Western restaurants.
Does China export tomatoes? Yes, China ranked 9th in worldwide tomato exports in 2022, with exports worth $259 million. Which is the bigger proportion of China’s tomato exports: raw or processed tomatoes? China exports more processed tomatoes than raw tomatoes, and was second globally in 2022 at $919 million processed tomato exports.