Mexico, followed by the Netherlands, Spain and Morocco, were positioned as the main exporters of tomatoes in the world in 2020.

Only three countries exceeded 1 billion tomato exports: Mexico (2,610 million), the Netherlands (1,915 million) and Spain (1,070 million).

After the potato, the tomato is the second most important vegetable crop.

Tomato is a fast growing crop with a growing period of 90 to 150 days.

Other prominent exporters of tomatoes in 2020 were: Morocco (770 million), Canada (460 million), France (440 million), Belgium (330 million), the United States (310 million), Turkey (310 million) and China (270 million).

Exporters of tomatoes

From a broader perspective, the monetary value of world food exports increased 3.6-fold in nominal terms between 2000 and 2018, from about $ 380 billion in 2000 to just under $ 1.4 trillion in 2018, with sharp increases in all food product groups, according to FAO.

In particular, fruits andExporters of tomatoes vegetables accounted for 23% of the total value of food exports in 2018, followed by cereals and preparations (14%).

Fish and meat each had an 11% percent share.

Among tomato exporters, Mexico concentrates practically all its shipments to the United States.

In Europe, tomato exports from the Netherlands go mainly to Germany and the United Kingdom, while Spanish shipments go mainly to Germany, the United Kingdom and France.

It is a neutral plant during the day. The optimal average daily temperature for growth is 18 to 25ºC with night temperatures between 10 and 20ºC.

However, large differences between day and night temperatures adversely affect performance.

The crop is very sensitive to frost.

Temperatures above 25ºC, accompanied by high humidity and strong wind, result in reduced performance.

Night temperatures above 20ºC, accompanied by high humidity and little sunlight, cause excessive vegetative growth and poor fruit production.