tomatoes

Data released by the European Commission has found that Italy is currently the leading producer of tomatoes in the European Union, with the southern European country accounting for 38 per cent of the bloc's output.

The country produced an average yield of 6.5m tonnes per year between 2003 and 2007, the study found, with 1.3m tonnes going for fresh consumption and the rest heading for processing.

The report, backed by the observatory of Cremona Fiere, said that Italy supplies only 19 per cent of the fresh tomatoes in the EU.

Specifically, in 2008 the country produced 4.7m tonnes of tomatoes, an increase of 1.2 per cent on 2007, with planted area growing 8 per cent to over 68.000ha.

'The data confirms that the CAP reform, with its three-year transition stage, has not damaged Italy's offer system,' said Cremona Fiere.