Tomato exports from the Canary Islands have fallen by more than 50 per cent during the past seven years from 256,917 tonnes in 2000/01 to 127,865 this season, according to the Regional Government of the Canaries.
The official data, along with other figures from the Provincial Association of Tomato Producer-Exporters of Tenerife (Aceto), show that tomato exports from the Spanish islands have decreased in a progressive manner in recent years, reports Europa Press.
Aceto said that tomato shipments from Las Palmas in particular had reduced from over 174,658 tonnes in 2001 to only 88,684 tonnes in the 2008/09 season.
The fall in production in the Canaries has contrasted with a substantial increase in exports from the Spanish mainland, where tomato exports have risen from 324,857 tonnes to 425,936 tonnes over the same period.
Aceto blamed the fall in production and exports on a combination of ongoing problems with pests and a “lack of support” for the transport of the products from the islands.
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