Egypt’s Agricultural Ministry said on Tuesday that production numbers for tomatoes grown in the country should mean that prices will remain stable until the start of the hot summer months.
Close to 400,000 acres have been planted with tomatoes, the Ministry said, adding that total production has exceeded 6 million tons across 7 planting periods throughout the year, which include types of tomatoes that can survive the winter weather.
The Ministry pointed out that tomato supplies tend to decrease during Egypt’s sweltering summer months, with tomatoes appearing in the markets in late September and throughout October.
The planting season with the highest production numbers for tomatoes is during the months of February, March and April, the report added, with the lowest numbers recorded during the summer.
The only exception to the stability of tomato prices would be an increase in agricultural exports of tomatoes abroad, an increase in the production of tomatoes and other tomato products such as salsa and tomato juice, or the sudden emergence of a disease threatening tomato crops.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
