Tomato prices in China increased sharply in recent weeks, driven by unfavourable weather earlier in the season and constrained supply during the main marketing window, according to market analysts. Prices began to ease slightly in mid-January and are expected to decline seasonally after the Spring Festival in mid-February.
By late December, retail tomato prices in many Beijing supermarkets were approaching 20 yuan per kilogram, equivalent to about US$2.87/kg, with some varieties priced higher. Wholesale data from the Xinfadi wholesale market showed that on Dec 30, the average boxed tomato price reached 6.7 yuan per kg, about US$0.96/kg, up from 2.5 yuan per kg, about US$0.36/kg, a year earlier.
Nationwide, the average wholesale tomato price reached 8.59 yuan per kg, around US$1.23/kg, in December. This was 23.4 percent higher than the previous month and 76.4 percent higher year on year. Prices peaked on Dec 26 at 9.36 yuan per kg, or about US$1.34/kg, according to monitoring data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Consumer reaction has been visible on social media. "Tomato and scrambled eggs, a classic Chinese homestyle dish, is now made in our canteen with plenty of eggs and a few tomatoes," one user commented on Sina Weibo.
Zhang Jing, a vegetable market analyst with the ministry's agricultural product monitoring team, said prices remained elevated mainly because prolonged rainfall and severe pest pressure reduced fruit set. "These factors tightened supplies during the peak marketing period, and the transition between different producing regions was not smooth," Zhang said.
Earlier in 2025, favourable weather increased output and pushed wholesale prices down to about 3.59 yuan per kg, or US$0.52/kg, which affected income expectations and led many growers to reduce autumn plantings. Subsequent adverse weather then disrupted production. Excessive rainfall in autumn damaged seedlings during transplanting, while a cold air outbreak in mid-October slowed plant growth and delayed harvests.
Meng Xiangyu, a grower in Liaocheng, Shandong province, said continuous rainfall from late September to early October caused water leakage in some winter greenhouses and delayed planting. "In 2025, I planted more than about 3.3 hectares of tomatoes. The current wholesale price is about 7 yuan per kg, more than three times the usual level," he told Xinhua News Agency.
Current supply is dominated by greenhouse tomatoes from northern regions such as Shandong and volumes shipped from southern provinces, including Yunnan and Sichuan. As open-field production in the north ends during winter, reliance on protected cultivation and long-distance transport increases costs.
Prices have softened slightly in recent days but are expected to remain firm until after the Spring Festival, when seasonal demand typically eases.
Source: ChinaDaily
