Russia’s average production of greenhouse tomatoes in the 2017-2018 campaign amounted to 380,000 tons, according to statistics provided by researchers of the marketing agency ROIF Expert in a new report, Fresh Plaza reports.
The report, titled “Greenhouse Tomatoes in Russia: Maximizing Production,” says the share of greenhouse tomatoes in the market has reached 45%. The main market trend has been the sharp growth in the share of tomatoes against the background of a reduction in the share of cucumbers. The gross tomato harvest in 2017-2018 grew by almost 25%, while the production of greenhouse cucumbers by only 0.2%.
According to a ROIF Expert, the most negative aspects affecting the development of greenhouse tomato production in Russia until 2023 will be the depreciation of fixed assets, the high capital costs for the construction of new greenhouse complexes, the increased competition between Russian and foreign suppliers in the vegetable market, or the pressure from federal retailers. Many will also be affected by infrastructure or logistics problems.
Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture forecasts greenhouse vegetable production in Russia to rise to 1.3 million tons this year, beating last year’s record crop by more than 200,000 tons.
Forecasts predicted further that Russia’s production of greenhouse vegetables would double over the next five years to reach around 2 million tons per year.
In 2019, Russia’s state support for vegetable production is set for a nearly double increase, to 240 million rubles from last year’s 130 million.
Tomato growth has been actively increasing in the past years. In 2018, according to Technologii Rosta, it will increase by 18% in comparison with last year, while the cucumber crops will only increase by 12% compared to 2017.
“We anticipate changes in the overall vegetable crop share. In 2017 the share of cucumbers amounted to 65%, and the share of tomatoes was 34%, this year the tomato share will be not less than 35%,” the marketing agency said.
