This year's tomato year starts soon. In Northern Italy for example, the first plants go into the ground around mid-April. The local growers hope that there will be no more heavy rainfall like in 2024, when many young tomato plants literally "drowned" and had to be replanted. The The area under cultivation here will also increase slightly and the Commodity price already set at 145 euros per tonne. Different in Southern Italy. There Price negotiations are underway as before. 160 euros per ton of raw material is being discussed. For the elongated tomato varieties (Roma) even around 170 euros. However, something else has been certain here since mid-February: due to a lack of water, the Area under cultivation in Puglia reduced by approx. 25 percent in 2025. Also in Spain is from a smaller acreage but the information is not yet certain - a reduction of 15 to 20 percent could be realistic.

Finally a View of the stocks: For both the retail and gastronomy sectors hardly any significant quantities left on the market available. In Spain, for example, tomato paste in barrels, diced tomatoes and pulp are completely sold out. How good that the 2025 tomato season is just around the corner. Now we have to wait and seehow the planting is progressing and how the weather is developing. We will of course continue to report for you.

The tuna year 2024 ended with challenges, and this trend is continuing in the first few months of 2025: the Catches in the Eastern and Central Pacific remain poorresulting in a Continuous rise in commodity prices leads. While we reported prices of USD 1,580 per tonne in Bangkok at the end of November, our expert now puts them at USD 1,750 per tonne (as at March 17, 2025). Our colleague Eve-Florence Gölz visited last week Tuna factories in the Philippines and reports: "Due to the lack of catches, it is currently only produced with low capacity utilization become. At the same time Hardly any stocks left in the warehouses available."

In the Indian Ocean According to our external partner, the poor catches are compounded by a further challenge: "This is where the Unusually high proportion of yellowfinso that the annual quota for yellowfin tuna will be exhausted early and the fishing boats can no longer catch anything."

However, there is currently a ray of hope from Ecuador. There Good catches and slightly falling commodity prices reported.

But the fact remains: Tuna is and remains expensive. If you need tuna, please contact us - we will find the right offer for you.

The artichoke harvest in Spain is in full swing and will continue until the end of April. After last year, which was characterized by climatic challenges for artichokes (too hot/too dry), this year our local partners are very satisfied with the quality even now, at the beginning of the harvest. The past 40 rainy days in particular have been excellent for the flowers - as well as for all other agricultural produce. We have therefore received very positive feedback from the artichoke-growing regions of Cartagena, Lorca and Vega Baja in particular: "We are expecting a significantly larger harvest volume compared to last year - It could be 30 to 40 percent more." A good artichoke campaign with possibly. lower prices compared to the previous year From today's perspective, nothing stands in the way.

Also in Egypt the artichoke season is underway according to plan. Since January, an area of 10,000 hectares (2,000 hectares larger than in the previous year) has been undergoing High-quality artichokes harvested. Due to the high inflation in Egypt is here with Price increases to be expected.

The The market for kidney beans is virtually empty: In the USA and Canada there is no offers at all. Also in China is that Low supply of beans and the goods due to bad weather conditions poor quality. Connoisseurs are therefore currently looking forward to Argentina. On the one hand, it is currently the only country that offers usable goods. On the other hand, the new harvest there already in June/Julywhile in the USA and Canada it usually only starts at the end of October. And then there are the tariffs planned by the EU on food (and other goods) from the USA. On March 20, the EU postponed their introduction from the beginning to mid-April, but they still hover like a sword of Damocles over food imports from the USA - such as kidney beans. This also has an impact on offers from other countries. It is quite possible that China and Canada will wait for the new tariffs to adjust their prices accordingly. So: In any case, further price increases are to be expected...

In view of this fact, we asked our partner about alternatives. His sobering answer: "Options from Brazil and Ethiopia are possible, but very risky in terms of the desired quality." Nevertheless, we are not giving up on finding suitable goods. With our first-class buyers and our long-standing partners, we are, after all is ideally positioned.

On March 20, we received this breaking news from our partner: "Numerous flowers may have frozen over the past two nights." Due to the warm daytime temperatures of 17 degrees (and warmer!), the Apricot and peach tree buds develop splendidly. Then came the Night-time temperatures plummet to minus 7 degrees. A small ray of hope: In the (usually higher) regions with the lowest temperatures, the trees were not yet so well developed anyway and the buds were still relatively tightly closed - so possibly better protected from the frost than those in flatter regions. However, even in the latter, temperatures had dropped to minus 4 degrees for four to five hours, our local partners are expecting a drop in volumes in any case - In some places, there is talk of losses of around 45 percent. And yet: It is still too early for precise estimates. "We will know more reliable figures in around ten days," says our expert. The extent to which the losses manifest themselves also depends on how the weather develops over the next few days and weeks. We will keep you up to date.

The Harvest and supply volumes for Thai pineapples are currently low - prices are correspondingly high. The figures from the Thai Food Processors Association (TFPA) from February illustrate this: Here, the The total harvest volume of 76,320 tons was 11 percent lower than originally forecast. This resulted in a daily supply of around 2,500 tons. This is usually around 4,000 tons, which is why there is fierce competition among the factories - for example to utilize minimum capacities and minimize production costs. From mid-February, the price therefore climbed to 17 to 18 Thai Baht per kg raw goods. To be able to push fruit prices down a little, Thai packers are currently joining forces. So you can Prices around 14.20 Thai Baht per kg realize.

In this tense situation, there is much Hope for the upcoming summer harvest. Initial forecasts go after all harvest volumes of around 3,000 tons per day from the end of April out. However, it remains to be seen to what extent this will be the case. The current situation is already prompting pineapple growers to harvest early in some cases. The drought could also be reflected in lower yields. It is therefore difficult to say at this stage how the summer harvest will actually affect availability and prices. Supply in other countries of origin such as Indonesia and the Philippines also plays a role. If they are able to deliver in the near future, the Thai pineapple market could at least ease somewhat.

Finally, a look at quality: The Thai Food Processors Association (TFPA) reports (as it has done for several months) of smaller fruits and partly high nitrate content. So it remains exciting to see what developments the summer harvest will bring. Stay up to date with our food news. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have.