"snack tomato could represent 30-40% of the total market in 5 years"
Syngenta's snacking tomato event provides food for thought
The snacking tomato segment is one of the most thriving segments in the worldwide greenhouse tomato industry. The young and dynamic category has seen an impressive growth over the last 20 years and according to Syngenta's Head of Vegetables EAME, Phillipe Chatin, the snacking tomato has been a constant source of innovation for the industry; breeders are fanatically working on the genetics, colour, shapes and flavours, traders and retailers are experimenting with packaging, and growers are challenged to achieve a consistent quality in year round production.
Nowadays the snacking tomato is responsible for 10-30% of the total tomato market in terms of volume, acreage, seeds and value. In the UK and Germany the snacking tomato is responsible for one third of the total amount of consumed tomatoes, and according to Phillipe Chatin, this trend will pass on to other countries in the coming years; the snacking tomato could represent 30-40% of the total market in 5 years time, he said.
Philippe Chatin during the opening session
As of today, Syngenta is the market leader in the active cultivation [greenhouse cultivation with additional heating] of snacking tomatoes, and their varieties are also very popular in the passive greenhouse cultivation [no extra heating]. The market potentials of the segment were more than enough reason for Syngenta to dedicate a two day event to the snacking tomatoes to share the latest knowledge, innovations, strategies and possibilities.
On the first day, the attendees had a chance to get an update on Syngenta's innovations in the snacking tomato segment. Special for this occasion, a complete selection of Syngenta commercial varieties, trials and other innovative varieties were on display at the Breeding Centre greenhouse in El Ejido.
Dutch growers and marketeers from Red Star, Harvest House, Seasun and Westburg visiting the Demo Greenhouse
The crops were sown on the 31st of August 2013. In this order, growers from all over Europe had a chance to see how the full grown varieties behaved in a Mediterranean climate. As the demand for snacking tomatoes is increasing, many European retailers are asking for a year round supply, and varieties that can be grown year round in different climates is always more than welcome.
Syngenta is currently a market leader in the segment with varieties like Angelle, Sweetelle, Dunne and Edioso. All of these well know tomatoes were on display as well as several other introductions and trials. Next to this there were also some crops that originated from other breeding programs in different countries.
Inside the lab
Along with a tour in the R&D facility at the breeding centre, the visit gave insight to the latest developments in varieties, flavour, shelf life and crop protection solutions. Professionals from Syngenta explained about the structure of the breeding process and the visitors learned how much effort is put in to each single specification of a variety.
Speakers at the conference on the 2nd day
On the second day of the event a varied conference program covered all aspects of the snacking tomato chain; from technical seminars on cultivation strategies, crop enhancement and pest control, towards a focus on marketing by speakers that issued consumption trends, retail needs, flavour differentiation and product positioning.
Even though the speaker program carried out a wide variety of topics, the discussed content was still very interesting for everybody in the chain. Presentations in the morning by Franciso Egea of the University of Almeria, Peter Stradiot of InnoGreen and Francisco José Rodríguez Noguerón focused on the technical aspect of tomato cultivation; what steps need to be taken to increase sustainability, achieve a better crop and how to control pests and diseases. All very technical content that still was very interesting for traders and retailers because they could get a better impression of the breeding process.
The second part of the day focused on marketing. What does the consumer want, where and how do you position the product? Shall you go for mass production, or for a niche, or somewhere in between? What type of consumer are you addressing? Does the consumer spends more money on tomatoes than he did 10 years ago?
Presentations by Elena Ozeritskaya from Fresh Insight, Rene van Paasen from Greenco and David del Pino from La Palma proved to be food for thought for both marketeers and growers and resulted in an interactive discussion afterwards.
In the coming weeks, HortiDaily.com will review the conference program in several articles.
Click here to view a photo report of the event.