CALIFORNIA BUSINESS MINUTE
CA Tomatoes
09-02-08
Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.
Californias processing tomato production is forecasted to be a little lower than last
year at 11.6 million tons, down 1 percent from the May forecast and 3 percent below
the 2007 season from 276,000 acres as identified by the National Agricultural Statistics
Service.
This years processing tomato crop is about a week behind schedule. The cold snap in
mid-April caused spot damage in tomato plants in some growing areas. And dry conditions
and high winds during the spring delayed fruit setting. Some growers reported that the late
July crop was slow in ripening and volumes were low which was unusual for that time of the
year. In other areas, crop conditions have generally been excellent with no significant insect
problems. Growers say they have high to variable yields this year.
By the numbers for 2007-08:
There is nearly a 90 percent chance that any commercially canned, jarred or bottled tomato
product bought in the United States came from California.
California farmers grew 95 percent - 12.1 million tons - of the 12.7 million tons of tomatoes
used for processing in the United States.
Just 225 growers in the Central Valley produce California's entire crop of processing tomatoes
- about 277,000 acres' worth. Most grow their crop under contract for one of California's 16
commercial tomato canneries.
Farmers can expect to receive 3.5 cents per pound for their processing tomatoes.
Three seed companies, Heinz, Bayer Crop Science and Monsanto, supply 90 percent of the
seed for the crop.
Americans buy the equivalent of roughly 1 million raw-product tons of processing tomatoes
every month in 2007
I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.
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