19
The planted area of the 2016 Brazilian
tomato crop is estimated at 54,714 hect-
ares, with a possible crop size of 3,544,593
tons, down approximately 600 thousand
tons from the previous year. According to
sources from the Brazilian Institute of Ge-
ography and Statistics (IBGE), average pro-
ductivity is projected at 61 tons per hect-
are throughout the Country. However, as
it frequently happens, these data could
vary greatly, either up or down, depend-
ing on the region where the crop is pro-
duced. 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 Re-
nata Pozelli Sabio, a member of the Horti-
fruti team at the Center for Applied Stud-
ies on Advanced Economics (Cepea), of the
Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (Es-
alq), a division of the University of São Pau-
lo (USP), the entity, jointly with the agents
of the sector, indicates that about 19 thou-
sand hectares are devoted to the produc-
tion of industry tomatoes in the Country,
whilst the remaining area corresponds to
tomatoes consumed fresh. “Goiás is the
leading hub, when the subject is toma-
toes for the industry, corresponding to
upwards of 60% of the total cultivated in
Brazil”, he clarifies. The remaining portion
Pleasing
to the eye
Productionforthe industry isalmostentirely
concentratedinthreestates,whiletomatoesfor
freshconsumptionareproducedalloverBrazil
of the production for this purpose is pro-
duced in São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
As to table tomatoes, production is
widespread, comprising several produc-
ing regions. The States with the biggest
areas devoted to this vegetable are as fol-
lows: São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás and
Bahia. Some important hubs, in each of
these states, are Goianápolis (GO), the
Itapeva regions, Mogi Guaçu and Sumaré
(SP), Araguari (MG), Chapada Diamanti-
na and Irecê (BA). There are also other
strategic regions that dictate the behav-
ior of the prices of this vegetable in the
national market, such as Serra da Ibiapa-
ba, in Ceará; Caçador, in Santa Catarina;
North of Paraná, and Caxias 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
prevailing in the market. Nonetheless, Re-
nata ponders that Hortifruti/Cepea collab-
orators point out that over the past years
there have been significant increases in the
share of other types of tomatoes, like a va-
riety known as Italian, and also Grape mini
tomatoes. “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 down-
turn experienced all over Brazil, it is be-
lieved that these products will grow less
expressively or face stagnation in the
short run. However, the researcher antic-
ipates good expectations in terms of de-
mand, in the long run. “Fortunately, as to-
matoes are now a staple in the Brazilian
cuisine, their consumption does not seem
to vary greatly, although prices frequent-
ly fluctuate”, she comments. “However,
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’.
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
