Extremadura will allocate 23,000 hectares to tomatoes

Extremadura will allocate around 23,000 hectares for the tomato campaign this year.

This is a similar number to that recorded in recent years, based on the signed contracts.

The sector is therefore maintaining figures similar to recent years despite the pandemic, as tomato consumption has not been affected by the current situation, as explained to Efe by the president of the Association of Agricultural Cooperatives of Extremadura (Acopaex), Domingo Fernández.

The president of Acopaex has said that “now the important thing is the weather conditions "They should be good during spring so that a positive yield per hectare is obtained."

So far, the rains experienced in the region during January and February "have been important for the reservoirs, which had very low levels," which benefits irrigation during the season, he indicated.

The main handicap for the sector lies in the prices, because although contracts have been closed at an average of 78 euros per tonAlthough eight euros higher than last year, this price is still low in relation to the costs faced by farmers.

The sector is hopeful that "prices can continue to rise next year," he said.

Fernández emphasized, however, that an agreement had been reached to set the contracts, since tomatoes "are one of the region's star crops," and "now the important thing is to achieve a good harvest that guarantees an optimal season," he stressed. Since the beginning of the year, several agricultural organizations have requested an optimal price for tomatoes so that the crop is profitable in the autonomous community.

Tomato production was affected last year by weather conditions, as according to data from Coag it fell between 10 and 15 percent depending on the hectare, which meant going from record figures in 2019 to lower amounts during 2020.

As with corn, tomatoes were affected by abundant spring rainfall in 2020.This led to pre-campaign tasks being carried out later, a situation that usually causes yields per hectare to decrease.