Italy is confirmed as the 1st processor of quality tomato products and the 1st exporter

As revealed by the data processed by ANICAV (Associazione Nazionale Industriali Conserve Alimentari Vegetali),

the tomato processing season in Italy ended with a total production of 5.16 million tonnes of tomatoes, an increase of 7.6% compared to 2019, from 65,634 hectares cultivated (+ 2% on 2019).

In the northern Italy production area, the final volume processed reached 2.74 million tons, an increase of 15.7% on last year, while in the Central South area  2.42 million tons were processed,

a slight reduction compared to 2019 despite an increase in the surfaces planted, due to the significant decline in agricultural yields in the Foggia area, which represents the largest supply area for the entire basin.

"What just ended was a complicated campaign, especially from the point of view of work organization and the protection of our employees. But our companies have managed to manage this difficult situation in the best way"  said Giovanni De Angelis, General Manager of ANICAV.

"Italy is confirmed as the absolute first processor of quality tomato products intended directly for the final consumer -peeled tomatoes, pulps, purées and cherry tomatoes, and the first exporter globally".

With the start of the lockdown period, there was an increase in consumption for retail formats, meanwhile it was the opposite for the Horeca (Hotels, restaurants, bars) channel, which normally consumes ⅓ of the production of tomato products.

ANICAV (Associazione Nazionale Industriali Conserve Alimentari Vegetali) was born in Naples in 1945 - with over 100 member companies, it is the largest association representing tomato processing companies in the world by number of member companies and quantity of processed product.