The tomato producing companies under the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organisations of Almeria, COEXPHAL, met urgently to analyse the causes of the low price paid in recent weeks for Almeria's flagship product.
According to COEXPHAL's data, tomato prices this campaign show a clear downward trend which is causing unrest in the sector and tension amongst growers because of the poor results they are obtaining.
The Spanish supply of tomatoes has dropped by 10% in volume between September 2014 and January 2015; meanwhile, the Moroccan supply has increased by 8% in the same period. As a result, it is impossible to confirm whether oversupply is the reason for the lower prices.
Besides the import of Moroccan tomatoes, another possible cause for the current situation mentioned at the discussion was the veto to European products, together with Russia's financial crisis.
Tomato prices in the province have dropped by 32% in February compared to the previous month, with all varieties affected, but especially the smooth, cherry, pear and long life tomatoes.
Overall, the campaign so far has been bad for all products, especially cucumbers and peppers. Courgettes are the only product that still registers good results.
Coexphal's companies can see how producers and their incomes are being affected, and are pondering what steps could be taken to try saving what remains of the campaign.