Report: Most Mexican tomatoes grown in controlled conditions

Sinaloa remains Mexico’s largest tomato-producing state and accounts for 22% of total Mexican tomato production, according to a report this year from the USDA.

Sinaloa is followed in importance by San Luis Potosi, Michoacán, Zacatecas and Jalisco, according to the report.

In the June report, the USDA said Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. will remain strong due to robust supplies and flat domestic consumption. 2023 production was estimated by the USDA at 2% above 2022.

“Stable U.S. demand and increasing adoption of greenhouse technologies account for the uptick in year-on-year production growth,” the USDA said.  

Mexican tomato production occurs throughout the year with two overlapping production/harvest peaks, the report said.

From December to April, the state of Sinaloa, Mexico's largest open-field and shade-house tomato producer, dominates the domestic market and exports over 80% of its crop to the U.S., the agency said.

From May to November, the states of San Luis Potosi followed by Michoacán, Zacatecas, Jalisco, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Morelos and Puebla become major suppliers, the report said.

Although exports to the U.S. occur year-round and are consistently above 100,000 metric tons per month, the largest volume of exports generally takes place from January to March and from October to December, the release said.

“Mexico exports over half of its annual tomato production and growers throughout the country use greenhouses, shade houses, high-tunnel systems, and other climate-control technologies to supply the U.S. market year-round,” the report said. “According to the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), tomato production is among Mexican agriculture’s most technologically sophisticated, with 67% of total production under controlled conditions.”

Mexican tomatoes follow well-established supply chains to markets throughout the U.S., the report said, with the greatest volume of Mexican tomatoes imported into the U.S. entering through the Laredo Customs District, followed by the Nogales and San Diego Customs Districts, the report said.

The Laredo District has four important ports of entry (POE) for fresh tomato shipments, chiefly Pharr, Laredo, Brownsville, and Progreso. In comparison, the Nogales, and San Diego Customs Districts each have just one POE for tomatoes, the report said.

The Laredo District accounted for 55% of U.S. imports of tomatoes in 2022, compared with 28% for Nogales and 15% for the San Diego district.