"We have been marketing conventional plum tomatoes for two weeks and round tomatoes for a week," explains Miguel López, manager of Costa de Níjar. "Sales are very smooth and prices are high. As the productions in central and northern Europe are diminishing, we have more room for our tomatoes. We are just starting and the volumes are not very significant. Prices will gradually fall by the end of October and early November when more production arrives."
According to Miguel López, there are more and more tomato producing countries in Europe, being a crop that, just like other vegetables, benefits from the increasingly mild winters, which is making it possible for the campaigns to be extended. "The competition from other countries in the tomato sector is on the rise," he affirms.
This summer, the tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) took a toll on Almeria's tomato production in general, when the plants had been recently replanted, according to Miguel López, "which has caused volumes to be somewhat lower at the beginning of the season, although normality will be restored over the coming weeks," he points out.
Costa de Níjar exports almost its entire production, about 11 million kilos of tomatoes per year, with Germany as its main destination. "A few years ago, we were also exporting tomatoes to distant destinations such as Canada and the United States, where protocols have become increasingly strict, to such an extent that we have been abandoning these destinations to focus on Europe, which entails much lower risks."
SAT Costa de Níjar will be present at Fruit Attraction, at stand 9E07, Hall 9.