China sees rapid growth in tomato products
China currently has around 166 tomato paste processing factories, featuring higher market concentration. COFCO Tunhe and Chalkis are flagship tomato products enterprises, with the collective output accounting for over 70% of the total in China.
China's tomato products are mostly exported to EU countries, Russia and Japan. In 2012, the severe drought in major production regions caused the low operation of domestic tomato enterprises, with the export volume of tomato products declining by 4.2% over 2011. By contrast, the products like ketchup and tomato sauce in small package saw rapid growth in export volume, and the export structure appears to be more reasonable.
In 2012, the average export price of tomato products made in China began to pick up. In Jan.-May, 2013, the average export price exceeded USD900/ton, starting running at a profit. However, it is the truth indeed that the overall profit of China tomato processing industry is relatively low.
Source: sacbee.com
