Argentina can't cover the industry demand for tomatoes, with a deficit of 3,000 hectares of plantation. 30% of the industrialized product (extracts, sauces, dressings or puree) consumed in the country comes from abroad, mainly from China and Italy.
The latest report on the sector prepared by the National Food Directorate was published in May 2018 and contains data until 2017. It confirms that the Argentine production of tomato destined to the industry in 2017 only covered 68% of its demand, of around 700 thousand tons. The remaining 30% of the industrialized tomato consumed in the country has to be imported.
In 2017, according to customs data, Argentina imported 44 thousand tons of tomato preparations for more than 37 million dollars: 62% were Chinese tomatoes and another 20% were Italian tomatoes. Exports of processed tomatoes amounted to 4 million dollars, mainly to Paraguay.
Source: elciudadanoweb.com
