The tomatoes currently for sale in the Chinese market mainly come from Chifeng in Inner Mongolia and Jianping on the southeast border of Liaoning. Additional supply comes from Weichang and Langfang in Hebei, as well as Daxing and Fangshan in Beijing, and Yinchuan in Ningxia.
In relation to the overall price development of Chinese tomatoes in the last few years, the price development last year and this year form a great 'X' on a chart. The price last year started low and greatly increased, while the price this year started high and dropped. The price of Chinese tomatoes reached new record heights in the second half of last year and the first half of this year. The price in the first half of last year was a record low, and the price in the second half of this year seems to be on its way to break that record. The price is likely to remain low for the rest of this year.
The conditions are not the same for all production areas. Tomatoes in Shanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia have not all ripened. The price of tomatoes in Inner Mongolia is already at a low point. The production areas in Shanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia only expanded the surface area devoted to tomato plantation after Chinese Spring Festival [5 February, 2019] in response to the high prices in the last two seasons.
Production areas in Inner Mongolia are the main suppliers of the Beijing market during summer and autumn. Production areas in Inner Mongolia began to expand the surface area devoted to tomato plantation quite early and the price has already dropped as a result of this expansion. Later in the season, when the additional production volume from production areas in Shanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia enters the market, the overall price is likely to remain low or drop even further.
Source: Beijing Xinfadi Market