The choice of tomato as the star product aims to highlight the outstanding work of the Spanish production and marketing sector. It also comes at a key moment, given the current geopolitical context and increasing competition from third countries within the European Union.
Tomato is the most consumed vegetable worldwide. In Spain, it represents 24.23% of fresh vegetable consumption in households, with an average of 12 kg per person per year at home and 2 kg outside the home. In 2024 alone, consumption rose by 6.25% compared to the previous year, driven by varietal diversification and consumers’ growing preference for healthier diets.
Tomato cultivation is present throughout Spain, with Andalusia, Murcia, Valencia and the Canary Islands as the leading producing regions, totalling 20,800 hectares dedicated to fresh tomato production and 1,649,000 tonnes in 2024. The Spanish tomato sector is strongly export-oriented, with 675,000 tonnes exported worth €1.1 billion, mainly to Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Tomato is also an essential ingredient in the Mediterranean Diet. It is rich in lycopene, antioxidants, vitamins A and C, fibre and water, while being low in calories. This nutritional profile makes it a valuable choice within a varied and balanced diet, in line with World Health Organization recommendations to consume at least 430 grams of fruit and vegetables per day.
Programme of activities
Fruit Attraction 2025 has designed an extensive programme to highlight tomato from the perspectives of innovation, knowledge and promotion. Among the highlights is the installation of a greenhouse garden with different commercial tomato types (on-the-vine, salad, ribbed, pink, plum, black or cherry), which will be located in the #alimentosdespaña Plaza.
Fruit Attraction 2025 reaches 95% occupancy
In addition, a meeting of the main tomato-producing countries in the European Union is scheduled, where participants will present a joint manifesto in defence of EU agricultural production, addressing the strong and unequal competition posed by third countries.
Knowledge and debate
The Tomato Attraction Forum will feature the participation of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, which will introduce a new tool for the tomato production and marketing sector: the Tomato Dashboard. This includes monthly data on prices and trade, as well as annual production volumes. The system allows farmers to monitor tomato cultivation, create prescription maps and track crop health using satellite imagery and farming operation records.
This knowledge and debate platform will also host two round tables, shedding light on the “Geopolitical Implications of Tomato Trade” and on “Trends, Key Players and Market Dynamics.” In addition, the Spanish Plant Breeders’ Association (ANOVE) will present a talk on the “Contributions of Plant Breeding in Tomato.”
