The 2013 harvest is the smallest for 10 years

Tomato production for the industry is weak this year.

2013 production of tomatoes for industry reached 40 million quintals. This is the smallest quantity since 2002, lower than that of 2012 (46 million quintals), lower than the annual average for the decade (52 million quintals), far from the peak production of 2006 (64 million quintals).

Many reasons can explain the low level of production. According to professionals several factors have been combined: an excessively rainy climate at planting time, hail and phytosanitary issues that have affected some regions, smaller areas and lower yields.

source : il punto coldiretti it