EastFruit analysts note that prices for imported tomatoes in Georgia have increased, but import volumes have increased, too.

International sources suggest that the increase in the price of imported tomatoes is due to bad weather in Turkey, which is the main exporter of tomatoes to Georgia. Local sources also agree with this.

Given the difficulties with supplies from Turkey, EastFruit price monitoring shows that red round tomatoes, which are massively imported from Turkey from October to May, have risen sharply in the wholesale markets of Georgia. The growth in wholesale prices for imported tomatoes in mid-January on an annualized basis amounted to about $0.30/kg. Official trade data also show price increases on CIF terms.

Despite higher prices, Georgia imported 1 200 tonnes of tomatoes in January – the highest volume in at least the last 9 years and 7% higher than imports in January 2021.

Somewhat surprisingly, both prices and volumes of tomato imports are up compared to January 2021. The main reason is the unusual base period of January 2021, when the Georgian government had to impose very tight restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19. Due to the restrictions, restaurants were only open for delivery and bazaars, which usually sell large volumes of tomatoes, were closed.

The restrictions resulted into weaker demand for imported tomatoes. Thus, the year-on-year increase in tomato imports, despite rising prices, is due to much stronger demand in January 2022, when there were almost no serious restrictions on the economy.

Over the past 8 months, Georgia has imported 7 700 tonnes of tomatoes – at least 30% higher compared to imports in the same period of any year over the past 9 years. Despite the recent increase in the price of imported tomatoes, prices in official import data are still among the lowest in history.

Сообщение Prices for imported tomatoes in Georgia are increasing появились сначала на EastFruit.

EastFruit analysts draw attention to the steady downward trend in wholesale prices for cherry tomatoes in Uzbekistan. From December 3, 2021 to February 4, 2022, their average wholesale prices decreased from 50 000 to 25 000 UZS/kg (from $4.6 to $2.3).

It is worth noting that wholesale prices for cherry tomatoes in late November and early December 2021 in Uzbekistan reached the highest level of the second half of 2021. Thus, the average wholesale prices fell two times from the peak price in two months.

The current wholesale prices for cherry tomatoes in Uzbekistan are almost at the same level as they were two years ago, at the beginning of February 2020. For comparison, the average wholesale prices for cherry tomatoes on February 4, 2020 were 23 UZS/kg ($2.4).

Read also: A large greenhouse complex has been built in the Fergana region (Uzbekistan)

On February 5, retail prices for cherry tomatoes in the supermarkets of the country’s capital range from 32 000 UZS/kg ($2.9) to 38 000 UZS/kg ($3.5), depending on the quality and caliber.

The average wholesale prices for cherry tomatoes in most countries, where EastFruit monitors weekly wholesale prices for more than 60 types of fruits and vegetables, are currently higher than in Uzbekistan.

We remind you that prices for cherry tomato in Uzbekistan were record high over the past year, as EastFruit analysts wrote in August and October 2021.

Сообщение Cherry tomatoes in Uzbekistan have halved in price over the past two months появились сначала на EastFruit.

EastFruit analysts note a record high import of tomatoes to Georgia in December 2021. The volume of imports in the last month of 2021 amounted to 2 170 tonnes. The prices for imported tomatoes remained low, which was a key factor in the market.

Tomato imports in December 2021 were 50% higher than in December 2020, despite almost equal prices. The reason for this is an increase in demand in 2021 due to easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Compared to the December 2014-2020 average, imports in December 2021 are 42% higher.

Local sources report that imported tomato prices remained low in December. As a result, wholesale prices for red tomatoes in Georgia averaged about $0.55/kg, which is $0.25-0.30 lower than in December 2019-2020. The wholesale price for pink tomatoes averaged $1.13/kg, which is about $0.10-0.30 lower than in December 2019-2020.

In total, Georgia imported 19 400 tonnes of tomatoes in 2021 – the third largest volume ever. This was facilitated by lower import prices in dollars – the trend towards cheaper imported tomatoes continued in 2021. In addition to the decline in prices, a poor harvest in the open field contributed to the growth of imports in 2021.

Сообщение Georgia imported a record volume of tomatoes in December 2021 появились сначала на EastFruit.

A significant increase in demand for greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes on the eve of the New Year holidays and their limited supply cause rapid rise in prices, analysts of the EastFruit project report. As market players note, the supply of vegetables from local greenhouse complexes today is rather small and unstable. Thus, a number of farms have already completed the sales of tomatoes and cucumbers from the previous cycle. In the rest of the greenhouses, the ripening of cucumbers and tomatoes was greatly slowed down due to the cold snap.

Today greenhouse cucumbers are sold at 120-180 RUB/kg ($1.63-2.44/kg), which is on average 12% more expensive than at the end of the last work week. As for greenhouse tomatoes, their cost has already increased to 75-140 RUB/kg ($1.02-1.90/kg), which is on average 17% more expensive than a week earlier.

So far, traders have not managed to fully compensate for the shortage of local cucumbers and tomatoes with imported ones. The problem is especially acute in the segment of cucumber, the supply of which is rather unstable. Imported cucumbers are now offered in Russia at 95-115 RUB/kg ($1.29-1.56/kg), Iran being the main supplier.

The supply of imported tomatoes is more systematic, and the geography of imports is much wider: they are imported from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran. The price for imported tomatoes ranges from 70 to 125 RUB/kg ($0.95-1.69/kg).

Greenhouse cucumbers in Russia are now on average 30% more expensive than in the same period last year. In the segment of greenhouse tomatoes, the situation is the opposite. To date, their prices are on average 28% lower than a year ago. At the same time, market analysts expect an acceleration in the growth rate of prices for greenhouse vegetables in the near future. The reason is that retail chains and wholesale companies start forming stocks before the holidays, and the supply of cucumbers and tomatoes on the market continues to decline.

Сообщение Greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes in Russia: increased demand pushes up prices появились сначала на EastFruit.

Prices for greenhouse tomatoes in Uzbekistan are breaking records: the average wholesale prices for red round tomatoes have grown by 30% over the past week, and by 3.7 times over the past two months! The current prices are several times higher than those recorded on the same date in previous years, EastFruit analysts note.

The dynamics of prices for greenhouse tomatoes in September-November 2021 differs significantly from that in the same period in 2019 and 2020. In previous years the increase in prices for greenhouse tomatoes began in the second half of October and early November, but in 2021 the average wholesale prices for greenhouse tomatoes started to grow on the 20th of September. Subsequently, the growth trend continued in October and November 2021 at a much higher pace than in previous years.

As of November 19, 2021, the average wholesale price for greenhouse red round tomatoes in Uzbekistan is 13,000 UZS/kg ($1.21), which is 2.2 times higher than on the same date in 2020 and 4.3 times higher than in 2019.

Moreover, the current wholesale prices for red round tomatoes are significantly higher than the pre-New Year prices in previous years: 44% higher than on December 31, 2020 and 2.2 times higher than on December 31, 2019.

In mid-October 2021, EastFruit already wrote about the rapid rise in prices for greenhouse tomatoes in Uzbekistan and showed a correlation between their price dynamics in Uzbekistan and Russia. Russia is the largest importer of Uzbek tomatoes – it imported about 52% of the total volume of fresh tomatoes exported from Uzbekistan in 9 months of 2021. At the same time, the potential for growth in tomato prices in Uzbekistan has not yet been exhausted, since prices on the Russian market then grew faster than on the Uzbek market.

Read also: How did the exemption from import duties in Uzbekistan affect the prices for citrus fruits and bananas?

The upward trend in prices in the Russian market continued until the end of October 2021, but then the average wholesale prices for greenhouse tomatoes began to decline. They fell by 33% over the last week while in Uzbekistan prices are still growing. Opposite price dynamics for greenhouse tomatoes and their sharp decline on the Russian market over the past week have led to narrowing the gap between prices in Russia and Uzbekistan, and to the average wholesale prices being higher in Uzbekistan than in Russia.

Such a ratio of wholesale prices suggests that the influence of the Russian market on the further dynamics of tomato prices in Uzbekistan is reduced to zero. Thus, further price fluctuations will be based on the ratio of supply and demand in the domestic market of Uzbekistan and the price level of greenhouse tomatoes in other major markets – in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which together account for about 48% of Uzbek tomato exports.

Сообщение Prices for greenhouse tomatoes in Uzbekistan are breaking records: will they continue to grow? появились сначала на EastFruit.

The Russian market has seen a rapid decline in prices in the greenhouse tomato segment for the second week in a row, according to EastFruit project analysts. Producers explain this by a significant increase in competition from imported products. They report large volumes of imported tomatoes from Turkey and Iran to have been delivered to the Russian market this week.

Greenhouses ship tomatoes at no more than 50-110 RUB/kg ($0.69-1.52/kg) now, whereas a week ago their prices started at 80 RUB/kg ($1.10/kg). As a result, prices for local greenhouse tomatoes fell by an average of 29% since the beginning of this week.

According to representatives of greenhouse complexes, they are forced to cut prices due to the rather abundant supply on the market. To date, most of the local greenhouse plants have already reached their full capacity and regularly ship tomatoes. In addition, the situation in the segment is aggravated by stable supplies of imported tomatoes from Turkey and Iran. They are now available on the market at 70 RUB/kg ($0.96/kg) average.

It should be noted that Russian greenhouses are now shipping tomatoes on average 45% cheaper than in the same period last year. Nevertheless, the majority of representatives of greenhouse complexes do not exclude a further price reduction. According to producers, if the current sales rates are maintained, they will be forced to decrease again the prices in order to prevent the accumulation of unsold products in storages.

Сообщение Russia: Increased competition from importers forces local growers to reduce tomatoes prices появились сначала на EastFruit.

Seasonally, Georgian red tomatoes are becoming more expensive since September. This is when the supply of locally produced tomatoes in the open field begins to decline, while the demand for Turkish imports and Georgian greenhouse tomatoes is slowly growing.

Things are a little different in 2021, as Georgia started importing early. This is a result of the low supply of local tomatoes, which is due to a decrease in production after low prices in 2020 and unfavorable weather in 2021. Turkish red tomatoes dominated the Georgian market last week and local ones were rarely seen in wholesale markets. The decline in the volume of Georgian tomatoes led to record high wholesale prices in October.

Source: EastFruit monitoring

Red round tomatoes in the Georgian wholesale markets are now sold at an average of $79 per 100 kg. This is 72% higher than the average price last year. Prices usually rise even more in the coming weeks, but the opinions of growers are mixed this year. The reasons for the drop in tomato prices from this high level may be due to cheap Turkish imports and an increased supply of produce from local greenhouses.

While imports are on the rise, the monthly average import prices for Turkish tomatoes have remained at $32 per 100 kg since July 2021. Whether such prices will remain in winter is questionable, given the rise in energy prices.

As for Georgian greenhouses, the supply will increase seasonally in the coming weeks. As more greenhouse tomatoes enter the market, this increased supply is likely to put pressure on average tomato prices. Moreover, some greenhouses have increased their production compared to 2020. The largest of them, the Georgian Greenhouse Corporation, producing under the Planta brand, will produce 30% more tomatoes this season. On the other hand, prices will largely depend on inflation of the local currency, which has already reached 12% and is expected to be high in the coming months.

Thus, the prices for tomatoes in Georgia are still at a high level. Where they will go next is unclear. The anticipated rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 makes the situation even more uncertain.

Сообщение Tomato prices in Georgia remain high. Will there be another increase? появились сначала на EastFruit.

EastFruit analysts note record high prices for cherry tomatoes in Uzbekistan this season. Over the past two months, their average wholesale prices have doubled, and the current price levels are 7 times higher than in the same period in 2020 and almost 3 times higher than in 2019!

In mid-August, EastFruit wrote about a decrease in prices for cherry tomatoes by almost half – average wholesale prices fell from 32,000 UZS/kg ($3) to 17,000 UZS/kg ($1.6) from early June to mid-August. Despite this, as of August 15, 2021, they remained 60-90% higher than on the same date in 2019-2020.

Since then, prices for cherry tomatoes have doubled. From mid-August to October 7, 2021, the average wholesale prices increased from 17,000 UZS/kg ($1.6) to 35,000 UZS/kg ($3.3). Current prices are several times higher than those recorded on the same date in 2019-2020. For example, as of October 7, 2020, the average wholesale price for cherry tomatoes in Uzbekistan was 5,000 UZS/kg ($0.5), and on the same date in 2019 – 12,000 UZS/kg ($1.3). 

Currently, retail prices for cherry tomatoes in supermarkets in the capital of the republic range from 43,000 UZS/kg ($4.0) to 52,000 UZS/kg ($4.9), depending on the quality and caliber.

Among the countries where EastFruit carries out weekly monitoring of wholesale prices for more than 60 types of fruit and vegetable products, only in Russia the average prices for cherry tomatoes are higher – $4/kg. As of October 7, 2021, the lowest wholesale prices were noted in Belarus ($1/kg), Moldova ($1.1/kg) and Ukraine ($1.1/kg). Thus, the average wholesale prices for cherry tomatoes in Uzbekistan are 3 times higher than in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

Сообщение Prices for cherry tomatoes in Uzbekistan hit record highs again появились сначала на EastFruit.

The limited supply of greenhouse tomatoes on the Russian market allows local growers to raise their prices, analysts of the EastFruit project report. Note that the prices for greenhouse tomatoes in Russia have been increasing for the third week in a row.

According to the daily monitoring of the project, last Friday Russian greenhouse sold tomatoes at 100-150 RUB/kg ($1.39-2.09/kg), which is on average 11% more expensive than at the end of the previous working week.

As noted by market players, supplies of greenhouse tomatoes from are now at low levels and unstable. Thus, a number of growers have already announced the completion of the sale of tomatoes from the previous production cycle. In the remaining greenhouses, the ripening of tomatoes slowed down due to the cold snap, and supplies from greenhouses stopped altogether. Moreover, the lack of local greenhouse vegetables has not yet been compensated by imported ones.

We add that as a result of the current price rise, prices for greenhouse tomatoes in the Russian Federation are on average 2.3 times higher than in the first half of October 2020. At the same time, producers intend to further increase prices, if the sales rates remain at the current level, explaining this by the limited supply of tomatoes from the local greenhouses.

Сообщение In Russia, tomato prices have doubled over the past year появились сначала на EastFruit.

Georgia imported unusually large volume of tomatoes in August. Imports amounted to 570 tons, which is 13 times higher than the average import volumes in August for 2014-2020 and 27 times more than the average for August for the last 3 years. 96% of the imported tomatoes were supplied by Turkey. The average import price was $320 per ton (CIF).

So far, the volume of tomato imports this year is 21-25% higher than in the same period in January-August the last two years. The high imports are associated with a reduction in tomato production in 2021, which followed an oversupply of local tomatoes in 2020.

In 2020, Georgia had a record high tomato supply of 87,000 tons, driven by an increase in local production to 75,000 tons. As demand was weakened by the pandemic, the increased supply resulted in the lowest prices in 2016-2020.

According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia, in 2020 Georgian farmers sold tomatoes at $260 per ton average. It is 25% lower than the average price for 2016-2019. Obviously, growers were desperate about such low prices. This resulted in fewer crops and lower production in 2021. It seems that this time Georgian growers have cut production volumes more than they should, which has made room for imports.

What’s interesting, market participants also report worsening climate and its negative impact on yields and, as a result, a decrease in the quality of open field tomatoes in some regions.

Overall, prices are much better now compared to 2020. Last week, Georgian growers sold open field tomatoes by 31-39% more expensive  than a year earlier.

Georgia will switch to greenhouse production in October. The current situation on the open field tomato market will not affect greenhouse tomatoes in any way. Greenhouse production will proceed as the growers originally planned.

Сообщение Georgia imports record volume of tomatoes from Turkey появились сначала на EastFruit.