May 26, 2009
USDA/FAS GAIN report CH 9047
Tomatoes and Products
Report Highlights:
China’s MY 2009/10
production of tomato and tomato products is forecast at a
record 39.5 MMT, with processing tomatoes accounting for
nearly 20 percent of total production. China’s tomato paste
production is expected to reach 1.1 MMT in MY 2009/10,
thanks to acreage expansion in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.
China’s tomato paste exports are forecast at 800,000 tons in
MY 2009/10, a six-percent increase from the estimated
750,000 tons in MY2008/09, driven by the increase in
domestic production.
Executive Summary:
China’s total fresh tomato
production is forecast at a record 39.5 million metric tons
(MMT) in marketing year 2009/10 (MY July-June), mainly
attributed to growth in the tomato processing sector.
China’s industry is expecting a record 7.6 MMT of processing
tomato production in MY 2009/10, a 20-percent increase from
the 6.4 MMT in MY 2008/09, thanks to strong crop returns in
2008. Assuming normal weather conditions continue through
the end of the marketing year, China’s tomato paste
production is expected to reach 1.1 MMT in MY 2009/10. This
record production is mainly due to acreage expansion in the
major producing provinces of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.
China’s tomato paste (H.S. code 200290) exports are forecast
to reach 800,000 tons in MY 2009/10, a six-percent increase
from the estimated 750,000 tons in MY 2008/2009, driven by
the increase in domestic production. The key phrase heard
among China’s tomato paste traders in 2008 is price. Prices
have soared as a result of production decline in Europe.
China’s fresh tomato consumption per capita is about 40 1bs
(18 kilograms) per year. Processed tomato consumption is
extremely low at present, but the local industry is
expecting an annual 15 percent increase in domestic
processed tomato consumption over the next few years, in
tandem with the rapid expansion of western style
restaurants. U.S. tomato products are most competitive in
major and mid-sized coastal cities, high-end consumer
markets, western supermarkets, and the value-added food
processing sector.
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