Tomato accounted for about 60% of the global vegetable production at 177 million tonnes in 2016. With about a quarter of tomatoes produced used in the processing industry, tomato is the world’s leading vegetable for processing – pastes, juices and powders.
Asia accounted for about 60% of global tomato production between 2006 and 2016. Specifically, China and India are the e largest producers with a share of 31.87% e and 10.39% of global production in 2016. In other regions of the world, tomato production has grown steadily, accounting for ~40% of global production in 2016.
Improved yields have been the major driver of tomato production across most regions. Globally, Europe has the highest tomato yield with some countries having tomato yield exceeding 400tonne/ha – ten times the global average. Specifically, the Netherlands, Belgium and United Kingdom have yields of 507.04tonne/ha, 506.90tonne/ha and 416.19 tonne/ha respectively2.
In contrast, many countries in Africa have low tomato yield – Nigeria 3.91 tonne/ha, Angola 2.70 tonne/ha and Somalia 1.44tonne/ha. Rising tomato production in Nigeria has been driven by expansion in area under cultivation, which has increased by 5% annually in the last decade.
The fragility and short shelf span of tomatoes facilitate wastage across many tomato producing regions. Inadequate logistics and storage facilities have further increased tomato wastage. Wastage cuts across the value chain, from production to the consumer segment. In 2008, an estimated 400,000 tonnes of tomatoes were reported wasted at the consumer level in the United States. This amounted to USD4.01 million for fresh tomatoes and USD1.56 million for canned tomatoes.