FBL x parma impianti rivista

GLOBALIZATION AND QUALITY
Processing tomato growing spread
in those regions throughout the
world where the pedoclimatic conditions,
operators’ entrepreneurial abilities
and receptive consumer
markets showed extremely favourable
characteristics.
After getting through an early pioneering
stage, industrial tomato products
reached later also the most distant
markets, in accordance with
the criteria of the so called “globalization”.
But today, thanks to the transfer of
technology and know-how, new
countries became in their turn processors
of tomato products and
make their appearance on the same
markets where other suppliers have
since long established their presence.
This is the case of China, which,
over the last few years, doubled its
agricultural production, now totalling
4.2 million tons but expecting to
jump to 10 million tons by the year
2010.
To win market shares, the chineseprocessed
product (mainly double
tomato paste) is however offered at
extremely competitive prices. Prices
the new producer can afford because
he has at his disposal, as usually
occurs in developing countries, labour
and raw material (tomato) at
lower cost.
So Chinese tomato products, finding
no outlet on the domestic market,
still little interested in this kind of
food, are pouring out into other and
more attractive markets, such as the
European one.
It is also because of the new comer
if tomato processing products of the
old continent are going through hard
times.
Besides difficulties raised by an on
the other hand overstocked market,
profitability of the farmer as well as
of the processor still exists only
thanks to public subsidy. But these
production aids are destined to
The new frontiers of processing tomato
growing reduction in compliance
with the regulations of European
P.a.c. and world T.W.O.
However, the difficulty above mentioned
could foreshadow, as often
happens under such circumstances,
technological and commercial evolutions.
Which are aimed at renovate
the world sector of tomato products
and, this is to be hoped for, to the
advantage of both consumers and
producers.
As to Chinese competition, one
can’t exclude on the other hand, for
this country too, and thanks to food
taste globalization, a possible boom
in tomato and tomato products consumptions,
as previously mentioned,
not too large so far.
As matters stand, the made in China
tomato products would no longer
pour out into overseas markets, at
least to the present-day extent, but
would be devoted to self-consumption
in large part.
Tomato harvested in the world
by Leopoldo Bergamini
PROCESSING TOMATO
PROSPECTS
A slight increase in tomato products
consumption, at least comparable
to that of world population growth,
can be estimated.
As to productions, rather wavering
trends were recorded through the
years. Which can be ascribed to the
instability of environmental conditions
that can turn out more or less
favourable to crops.
But obviously the factor more directly
affecting the size of a crop is the
agricultural planning made by farmers.
Areas intended for processing tomato
growing are, as a rule, agreed
upon through interprofessional contracts
but, at times, also on the basis
of mainly speculative reasons
that do not take into due consideration
market forecasts.
So, it may happen that too much
raw material is harvested compared
Country 2003 2004 % 2005
( '000.t ) ( '000.t ) on the total forecasts*
U.S.A. 8.347 10.700 31 8.550
( California )
Italy 5.200 6.400 18 5.250
China 2.400 4.200 12 3.650
Spain 1.750 2.200 6 2.400
Turkey 1.900 1.750 5 1.500
Brazil 900 1.300 4 -
Greece 900 1.200 3 850
Portugal 895 1.180 3 1.000
Other Countries 5.700 6.120 18 -
* forecasts : source "AMITOM"
27.992 35.050 100
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