This Saturday, 18 February, the city of Almería will become the world tomato capital for the third consecutive year. This is a multitudinous event, intended as a celebration of the province's flagship horticultural product. A thousand million kilos of tomatoes of different varieties are shipped each year from Almeria to the domestic and international markets and it has been one of the largest suppliers for five decades.
This commercial relevance, together with the proven quality of Almerian tomatoes and their outstanding role as part of a healthy diet, are the driving forces of the event, which, as in previous editions, will have its centre in the central Plaza Vieja of the Almerian capital. It is organised by companies of the horticultural sector in partnership with local media, La Voz de Almería and Cadena Ser, and with the institutional support of the city council, the Provincial Council and Cajamar.
The list of activities in the programme includes exhibitions, tastings, tomato sales for charity purposes, a pop music concert, children's activities and award presentations, and there will be ten stands, open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Last year's edition was attended by more than 20,000 people.
Throughout the morning, visitors will have the chance to see an exhibition called "10 reasons to fall in love with Almeria's tomatoes".
And to make sure that no one leaves the square without a tomato, it will be possible to buy a bag full of tomatoes for only 1 Euro, with the proceeds going to two NGO partners. The product will be supplied by large companies in the sector: Casi, Única Group, La Unión, Vicasol, Hortamar, Coprohnijar, Agroponiente, Vegacañada and Agrupalmería.