Mexican tomato exports to increase, USDA forecasts
Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. in 2020-21 are expected to increase 2% compared with 2019-20 levels, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report.
The USDA annual report on Mexican tomatoes predicts that exports to the U.S. from October to September 2021 will total 1.87 million metric tons, 2% above the previous year.
Because Mexican tomatoes are produced in a fall/winter cycle and a spring/summer cycle, the USDA measures the agricultural production year over 18 months to capture all growing areas, the report said.
Mexican tomato production for agricultural year 2020 (October 2019 to March 2021) is forecast at 3.33 million metric tons according to Mexico’s Agrifood and Fisheries Information System. That is 3% lower than the previous agricultural year because of volatile weather in Sinaloa during the fall and winter cycle and acreage reductions, the USDA report said.
The forecast for agricultural year 2021 (October 2020 to March 2022) is 3.47 million metric tons, according to the USDA.
Mexico exports of tomatoes have increased from $406 million in 1995 to $2 billion in 2019, and the U.S. accounts for 99.7% of all Mexican exports, according to the USDA. Mexico’s tomato planted area from October 2019 to March 2021 is forecast at 114,928 acres, 3% higher than the previous year.
