Traditional tomato growing regions in Europe are located along the Mediterranean coast, which is characterized by abundant sunshine, ample rainfall, and suitable soil. This region is also one of the three most advantageous areas in the world for processing tomatoes, including Italy, Spain, France, and Greece. In 2021, the total tomato production in the EU was 17.889 million tons, with Italy producing 6.645 million tons and Spain 4.754 million tons, together accounting for 64% of the total. The total EU processed tomato production was 11.546 million tons, with Italy producing 6.059 million tons and Spain 3.185 million tons, together accounting for 80%.
Italy: Italy is the world's fifth-largest tomato producer and the third-largest producer of processed tomatoes, with more than 90% of its tomatoes used for processing. Tomato processing in Italy is concentrated in three regions: Puglia in the south (50%), Campania (8%), and Emilia-Romagna in the north (30%). In 2022, Italy's processed tomato production was 5.476 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 9.6%. According to WPTC's monitoring report, the area planted with processing tomatoes in Italy this year has increased by about 5% year-on-year; the production is estimated to be 5.6 million tons, a slight increase of 2.3% year-on-year.
Spain: Spain's processing tomato production is concentrated in two regions, Extremadura and Andalusia, with Extremadura accounting for three-quarters of the national production and Andalusia one-quarter. This year, the core production area of Extremadura is expected to have a processing tomato planting area of 22,000 hectares, an increase of 12.8% compared to last year's 19,500 hectares. WPTC estimates that Spain's processed tomato production this year will be 2.6 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 22.4%.
