Anaco Greeve
Spain: Almeria main competitor of Canary Islands tomato
"Export has dropped by 20-25%,” he states. “Last year we had a bad start, but overall business was reasonable, at least until Christmas. Snow storms caused a low harvest. People are always mentioning Morocco, but in fact it’s the Spanish mainland that sets the prices. Most of the developments we have to deal with, are happening right over there, especially in the Almeria region.”
Domingo admits that European consumers have a lot to do with setting the price levels, but claims the market is a precarious one. “Each country has its own preference in color and size. The Germans want red tomatoes, the Spanish want green tomatoes, and the Scandinavians want orange tomatoes. Scandinavia and part of Germany have a fixed clientèle and do not want another tomato than the one from the Canary Islands. But to Eastern European countries prices matter much more. Turkey is supplying that market, having easy access to that part of the continent.”
“The Canary Islands tomato is distinguished by its taste, which is very different. That is why some supermarkets only want our tomatoes. Our market mainly lies in Scandinavia and Germany and we compete primarily with southern Spain. Morocco has its own market, especially in Germany, and rivalry with them is actually very modest. the biggest competitor remains Almeria.”
Source: Laprovincia.es