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- Sophie
AMITOM crop update as of 15 May 2024
Bulgaria
No data
Egypt
The harvest of the early summer crop started in early May and temperatures are currently good with 30-32°C during days and 20-23 °C at night so the outlook is good. Due to the increased processing capacity, contracted surfaces have increased by 23% and the total 2024 forecast from 600,000 tonnes to 780,000 tonnes.
Price is about 130 USD/t (120 EUR/t) delivered. There is no issue with water availability either from the underground or from the Nile River.
France
The very unstable weather with rain, wind and changes in temperatures is delaying plantings. Although these started early on 18 March, to date only about 50% of the surfaces have been planted. More rain is expected this week and next week. It is possible that not all of the planned 2,400 ha will be planted, and in the fields, transplants are developing slowly. Harvest will probably only start at the very end of July with most of the production expected at the end of August.
Average field gate prices are about 140 euros in the south-east and 115 euros in the south-west.
Greece
Contrarily to the west of Europe, Greece has been experiencing a very warm spring which enabled early planting. About 80 to 85% of the surfaces have been planted to date and all should be done by the end of May. Conditions are very good, with some helpful rains after planting, which means that harvest should start early around 15-20 July and the forecast is increased from 480,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes. As reported before, prices range from 135 to 155 euros delivered, with an average of 143 euros.
Hungary
After having slight issues with seedling cultivation, the transplanting will be completed at 90 % by this Friday. Direct sowing was already completed which represents ca. 200 hectares from the total 1,300 hectares. So far, the spring weather has been rather poor in precipitation in Hungary.
Iran
No data
Italy
In the North, the situation is similar to France with a start of planting in early April but important delays due to rain with only about 50 to 55% of surfaces planted to date. Planting should only finish mid-June. Also today and tomorrow we have abundant rainfall spread across the entire Po Valley. Plant growth is not too good with the canopy not developing well due to the low temperatures. The outlook is not positive at the moment with delays of up to 1 or 2 week expected in the harvest. Prices for raw material have been set by the cooperative at 135 to 140 euros field gate, while for private companies represented by ANICAV there is a proposal around 130 euros ex field (+ the 1 euro for services) with some late premium (1 Euro/t/day more starting from 12th Sept with a max of 15 Euro/t premium).
In the South, planting is progressing well as there has been less rain. In Puglia, however, low water availability will mean a reduction in surfaces which will not be fully compensated in other areas. Prices negotiations will start in a couple weeks of the price in the north is not yet agreed. Costs are higher than in the north, notably due to the delivery in bins, and prices usually 5 euros higher.
The total forecast for Italy remains about 5.6 million tonnes for the time being.
Portugal
The weather has been unstable all spring with some warm days but other cold, cloudy, windy and some rain. At the end of March, many fields were too wet which delayed transplant for 2 weeks. Planting started then in the second week of April on a more regular basis. Since that time until today we are about 54-56% of the surface planted, with some transplants which had waited too long in the nurseries. Plant development in fields is slowed by the low temperatures but for now is good during the transplant phase. The forecast is unchanged.
Russia
(temporarily out of association)
No data
Spain
In Extremadura, the transplanting has been delayed between 10 to 15 days by the rains. It should finish by the end of the month. Temperatures have been rather cool, so the development of the plants has been slow. There are worries that this may cause a concentration of the ripening of early and medium tomato in the second half of August.
In Andalucía, the transplanting was also delayed by the rains but not so much and is finishing these days). A late start of the campaign is expected.
In the North, things seem to go pretty smooth and on schedule so far.
The forecast remains 2.8 million tonnes.
Tunisia
As of 13 May, the overall water stock at the dams was 797 million m3 compared with 677 million m3 at the same date last year, i.e. 34% of storage capacity. In view of this situation, and despite the slight improvement compared with the same period last year, water availability remains limited, which means that a similar result than last year in terms of production and processing is expected.
So far, initial estimates of the area planted remain unchanged from last year, at around 12,000 ha. The ripening of tomatoes in the various regions will coincide with the Aîd el Adh’ha festival (mid-June) which could delay the harvest.
Turkey
As in Greece, the weather has been good and warm in the south and the plants are developing well. An early start of the harvest is expected. In the north, however, the planting has slowed due to cooler weather and depending on later weather there may be a gap between the harvest in the south and in the north. The forecast remains unchanged.
Ukraine
TPlanting has started two days later than planned and is now going according to the plan. About 45% of tomatoes have been transplanted. The weather conditions are mostly comfortable, but low night temperatures and the risk of frost slowing down the growth of seedlings in the field. We expect a stabilization of temperatures to normal ones. The forecast remains 600,000 tonnes.