Two-thirds of the quantities of tomato processed worldwide in 2020 were processed by the companies of the world’s Top 50 in the sector to which Tunisia belongs.
The processing capacity of the Top 50 world groups of tomato processing is 25289894 MT.
Tunisia has retained the 24th place globally with 370,000 MT in 2020.
Nearly 25.3 million metric tons (mT) of fresh tomatoes (out of 38.6 million mT) were received in 124 industrial sites, to be processed by companies or groups of companies.
The combined capacity of these first 50 companies or groups (33.66 million mT) appears to be very largely oversized compared to the quantities actually processed: in 2020, the companies of the TOP50 have treated only about 25 million tonnes, leaving practically a quarter of the total industrial capacity unused; seen from another angle, the available capacity of the TOP50 plants alone would have allowed in 2020 to process 87% of the quantities actually processed last year (38.6 million mT).
It should be noted that in Tunisia a total area of 17,000 hectares was planted with tomatoes in 2021, against 16,500 hectares in 2020, but agricultural yields fell by 15% due to a heat wave from June 10 to the end of August to reach an average of 63 t / ha against 75 t / ha in 2020, so that the total production was 1.1 million tons.
Part of the tomatoes was as usual sold fresh on the market and the volume processed in 25 factories with a total daily capacity of 36,000 tons of fresh tomatoes was 938,000 tons, of which 926,000 tons to produce double concentrate and 12,000 tons to produce canned tomatoes.
Source: WPTC Tomato News
