After several years of significant increases, German foreign purchases slowed significantly in 2023. In spite of this, Germany's expenditure for tomato product supplies has risen sharply once again.
Over the last ten years, Germany has been the world's leading importer of tomato pastes, ahead of the UK, and the second largest importer of canned tomatoes and tomato sauces and ketchup, behind the UK.
German imports of tomato products fell sharply last year, bringing supply flows down to levels well below those of the previous three years, which were marked by a sharp rise in demand during the Covid health crisis. While imports of pastes (HS codes 200290), being intermediate products intended for remanufacturing, held up well during the slowdown, falling by only a few hundred tonnes (-1200 t, -0.4%), foreign purchases of marketable finished products like canned tomatoes and sauces fell sharply over the January-December 2023 period (canned tomatoes, HS codes 200210: -18,200 t, -7%; sauces, HS codes 210320: -6,700 t, -4.5%) .
However, German spending on tomato product imports, generally stable at an annual average of EUR 540 to 550 million between 2015 and 2019, has practically doubled over the last four years, currently exceeding EUR 1.02 billion in 2023, representing an annual growth rate (CAGR) close to 16% over the 2019-2023 period. The fastest growth was in expenditure on foreign purchases of pastes (CAGR: 20%), but other sectors also recorded very marked increases in value. The amounts spent on imports of canned tomatoes and sauces rose by 16% and 9% respectively.
Over the last ten years, the proportion of German expenditure dedicated to imports of canned tomatoes has remained virtually stable at an average of around 30% of the total, while the proportion spent on foreign purchases of pastes has risen sharply, from 42% of total expenditure in 2013 to 48% in 2023. At the same time, the proportion of expenditure attributed to sauces fell proportionately, from 27% in 2013 to 23% in 2023.
The countries supplying the German market are primarily European. Over the last five years, 90% of tomato pastes and 98% of canned tomatoes and tomato sauces entering Germany have been imported from one of the EU member states. During this period, Italian products accounted for 56% of German foreign purchases of pastes, 85% of canned tomatoes and 42% of sauces. 18% of pastes imported into Germany were of Spanish origin, as were 4% of canned tomatoes and 2% of sauces. Portuguese products accounted for 7% of German purchases of tomato pastes, 3% of canned tomatoes and 3% of sauces.
A few other countries (China, Chile, Turkey) played secondary roles in the supply of pastes to the German market. Finally, it is worth mentioning the Dutch and Polish participation in German sauce imports (respectively 31% and 8% of total quantities).
Some complementary data
Evolution and composition of German expenditure on tomato product imports.
Annual contribution of the various import sectors to total German expenditure.
Source: Trade Data Monitor
