The planted area of the 2016 Brazilian to-
mato crop is estimated at 54,714 hectares,
with a possible crop size of 3,544,593 tons,
down approximately 600 thousand tons
from the previous year. According to sourc-
es from the Brazilian Institute of Geography
and Statistics (IBGE), average productivity is
projected at 61 tons per hectare throughout
the Country. However, as it frequently hap-
pens, these data could vary greatly, either up
or down, depending on the region where
the crop is produced. This oscillation is quite
frequent with table tomatoes, simply because
the technological level of the farmers and the
weather conditions differ considerably.
According to vegetable researcher Rena-
ta Pozelli Sabio, a member of the Hortifru-
ti team at the Center for Applied Studies on
Advanced Economics (Cepea), of the Luiz de
Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq), a divi-
sion of the University of São Paulo (USP), the
entity, jointly with the agents of the sector, in-
dicates that about 19 thousand hectares are
devoted to the production of industry to-
matoes in the Country, whilst the remain-
ing area corresponds to tomatoes consumed
fresh. “Goiás is the leading hub, when the
subject is tomatoes for the industry, corre-
sponding to upwards of 60% of the total cul-
tivated in Brazil”, he clarifies. The remaining
portion of the production for this purpose is
produced in São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
As to table tomatoes, production is
widespread, comprising several producing
regions. The States with the biggest areas
devoted to this vegetable are as follows:
São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás and Ba-
hia. Some important hubs, in each of these
states, are Goianápolis (GO), the Itapeva re-
gions, Mogi Guaçu and Sumaré (SP), Ara-
guari (MG), Chapada Diamantina and Irecê
(BA). There are also other strategic regions
that dictate the behavior of the prices of
this vegetable in the national market, such
as Serra da Ibiapaba, in Ceará; Caçador, in
Santa Catarina; North of Paraná, and Cax-
ias do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul.
Currently, the leading variety of toma-
toes traded in Brazil for fresh consump-
tion is known as Long Life Salad, now pre-
vailing in the market. Nonetheless, Renata
ponders that Hortifruti/Cepea collabora-
tors point out that over the past years there
have been significant increases in the share
of other types of tomatoes, like a variety
known as Italian, and also Grape mini toma-
toes. “The credit of this growth goes to the
rising purchasing power of the Brazilian
people, who, thanks to a thriving econo-
my, have been going after discerning prod-
ucts, with higher added value”, she says.
Due to the recent economic downturn
experienced all over Brazil, it is believed that
these products will grow less expressively or
face stagnation in the short run. However,
the researcher anticipates good expectations
in terms of demand, in the long run. “Fortu-
nately, as tomatoes are now a staple in the
Brazilian cuisine, their consumption does
not seem to vary greatly, although prices
frequently fluctuate”, she comments. “How-
ever, when prices skyrocket, as was the case
in January 2016, we have seen consumers
in retreat, or switching to more affordable
alternatives, no longer consuming toma-
toes or reducing their purchases’.
Pleasing
to the eye
Production for the industry is almost entirely concentrated in three states,
while tomatoes for fresh consumption are produced all over Brazil
Inor Ag. Assmann
62
Fonte:
Sidra/IBGE. – * Estimativa de abril.
Delicious
saboroso
Os números mais recentes da produção de tomates
Safra
2015
2016*
Área plantada (hectares)
62.096
54.714
Produção (toneladas)
4.145.553
3.544.593
Rendimento (quilos por hectare)
66.810
64.814
As principais
MAINVEGETABLES
