Extreme weather in Italy impacts supply of processing tomatoes; German greenhouse production expands
Severe hailstorms and heatwaves in Italy's Emilia Romagna have caused substantial damage to industrial tomato crops, while German greenhouse tomato production area has recently increased by 12 hectares.
In northern Italy, particularly Emilia Romagna, recent hailstorms and torrential rains have severely damaged both field crops and storage facilities for tomatoes destined for processing. The president of Terremerse reports that the most significant losses involve industrial tomato crops across all types, with no definitive quantitative data yet available, but with expectations of strong repercussions for overall supply. Prolonged heat prior to the storms had already reduced fruit size by an estimated 10% in several varieties. These events are likely to reduce the availability of Italian processing tomatoes for both domestic and export markets in the 2026 season, with potential effects on supply to importers in central and eastern Europe, including Poland.
In Germany, the Papenburg horticultural cooperative has increased its greenhouse area by 18 hectares as of January 2026, two-thirds of which is dedicated to tomatoes. This expansion has strengthened the group's market impact, especially for standard tomato varieties. Despite the increase in production area and stable yields, wholesale prices for tomatoes in Germany remain below 2025 levels. The cooperative attributes increased consumer attention to standard varieties to ongoing inflation and cautious household spending, indicating persistent price sensitivity among buyers.
In the UK, domestically grown tomatoes continue to receive recognition for quality, with Morrisons’ Isle of Wight Viola Cocktail tomatoes rated as the best supermarket vine tomato in a recent consumer test. Brix scores (a measure of sweetness) for UK and Dutch tomatoes ranged from 4 to 7, reflecting significant variability in eating quality. The taste test included both British and Dutch tomatoes, highlighting strong competition among European suppliers in the premium retail segment.
Spanish tomato producers in Los Palacios (Andalusia) continue to promote their local crop through high-profile public events, underlining the cultural and economic significance of tomato production in the region. No indication of supply shortfalls or price changes was reported for Spain.
The Italian sector is organizing open days for industrial tomato production, aiming to increase transparency and consumer engagement, but no new market or price data were provided. Weather-related production risks in Italy may increase the demand for greenhouse-grown tomatoes from Germany and the Netherlands in export markets such as Poland.
Material prepared by the editorial team of fresh-market.info, editor Artur Spiker