Executive Summary:

China’s total fresh tomato production is forecast at a record 39.5 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year 2009/10 (MY July-June), mainly attributed to growth in the tomato processing sector. China’s industry is expecting a record 7.6 MMT of processing tomato production in MY 2009/10, a 20-percent increase from the 6.4 MMT in MY 2008/09, thanks to strong crop returns in 2008.

Assuming normal weather conditions continue through the end of the marketing year, China’s tomato paste production is expected to reach 1.1 MMT in MY 2009/10. This record production is mainly due to acreage expansion in the major producing provinces of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. China’s tomato paste (H.S. code 200290) exports are forecast to reach 800,000 tons in MY 2009/10, a six-percent increase from the estimated 750,000 tons in MY 2008/2009, driven by the increase in domestic production.

The key phrase heard among China’s tomato paste traders in 2008 is price. Prices have soared as a result of production decline in Europe. China’s fresh tomato consumption per capita is about 40 1bs (18 kilograms) per year. Processed tomato

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