The World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC) released its crop report on June 12th, 2023. The harvest in the Southern Hemisphere is complete, while plantings in the Northern Hemisphere are nearing completion for the 2023 season. The forecast for this year stands at 42.5 million tonnes, which is higher than in previous years.
Northern Italy has experienced significant rainfall, impacting tomato cultivation. Farmers have faced delays in transplanting by approximately two weeks, which is expected to pose challenges during harvesting. Cooler temperatures have also slowed crop development, leading to an anticipated one-week delay in the harvest, as reported by the WPTC. Flooding in the north has caused some crop damage, but the extent of the yield reduction is yet to be quantified. In the south of Italy, delayed planting due to rain has also caused setbacks for tomato plantings. However, Portugal and Spain are still in line with forecasts, with cooler weather and some rainfall in these regions helping crop development.
Despite the strong production forecast for the 2023 season, there are still concerns regarding overall harvest due to delayed planting and disease risks associated with the wet spring.