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News

Portugal: tomato industry results in 2024

07/01/2025 - François-Xavier Branthôme

In early December, the FNOP (Portuguese Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers' Organizations) took stock of the 2024 tomato season. Portugal has eight major processing companies authorized to operate in this sector. This year, production is estimated at 1,640,781 tonnes.

Portugal is one of Europe's largest producers of processing tomatoes: the country also boasts a number of industrial companies involved in processing this fruit, producing products for end-consumers or remanufacturers, for the domestic market and for export.

In early December 2024, the FNOP, in collaboration with the COTHN (National Technological Operational Center for Horticulture and Fruit cultivation), presented the results of the 2024 tomato season in Alvalade, Alentejo. "More than 170 participants" attended the event, part of an initiative co-financed by the Rural Development Program (PDR2020) under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
"The meeting featured in-depth analyses, innovative presentations and strategic discussions for the future of this vital sector of the country's economy," the FNOP revealed in a statement.

The Federation also added that participants heard "a detailed analysis of the national and global context of tomato production," and global trends and their impact on local situations were also discussed.

In addition to the results of the 2024 campaign, with a particular focus on the main production and quality indicators, "the meeting enabled participants to reflect on the results obtained and draw lessons for future campaigns."

Portugal is home to eight companies approved by the FIPA (Federação das Indústrias Portuguesas Agro-Alimentares, or Federation of Portuguese Agri-food Industries) as being eligible for aid measures linked to "surface areas" in the tomato cultivation sector.
The figures presented are encouraging: by 2023, production had reached 1,681,746 tonnes of tomatoes. This is one of the most significant production results in recent years, surpassed only by the 2015 campaign (see additional information at the end of this article). The declared surfaces totaled 17,869 hectares, and productivity was the fifth highest in the last decade, at 94.12 tonnes per hectare.

Planted surface areas of 17,700 hectares
In 2024, although the year is not yet over and the data has not yet been finalized, the figures are similar, albeit with a slight decrease. Data revealed by the FNOP, based on figures from the IFAP (Institute of finance in support of agriculture and fisheries), show an estimated production of 1,640,781 tonnes of tomatoes for industrial use, for a planted area of 17,700 hectares.

Secondly, the meeting provided an opportunity to present an assessment of the 2024 processing season, with a focus on current challenges and future prospects for the processing tomato sector. "This sector has underlined the importance of resilience and the ability to adapt to the growing demands of national and international markets."

At the same time, three research/innovation projects were presented, highlighting technological and strategic solutions for increasing efficiency, ensuring sustainability and strengthening the sector's competitiveness.

One of the highlights of the meeting organized by the FNOP was the round table discussion entitled "Processing tomatoes in Europe: impact of the suppression of active substances", which brought together industry experts to discuss, among other topics, recent regulatory developments in the European Union, notably the withdrawal of certain active substances considered crucial to production.
Strategies were also explored aiming to mitigate the impact of these changes and ensure the continuity and competitiveness of the European processing tomato sector.

Eight industrial companies
In Portugal, eight processing companies have been approved by the FIPA for the surface area aid associated with the tomato processing sector for the 2025 marketing year. They are CAMPIL, SUMOL+COMPAL, FIT, ITALAGRO, SUGAL, TOMATAGRO, CONESA PORTUGAL and SUTOL.

As for the international reach and export levels of processing tomatoes in recent years, the figures are also positive. Data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) for 2022 indicates that processed tomatoes are the most exported product, accounting for EUR 330 million of total national exports. The European Union is the main destination, but outside Europe, Japan is one of the biggest foreign markets for this type of product.

Some complementary data
Evolution of quantities processed in Portugal since 1989.

(Source: WPTC)

Evolution of quantities of tomato pastes (HS codes 200290) exported by Portugal since 2014.

Sources: tempo.pt, ifap.pt, WPTC, TDM

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SUTOL

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Portugal: exports of tomato products in 2020/2021

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