In recent months, Italy has seen a drastic decline in imports of Chinese tomato paste. Last year, in fact, our country purchased 99 million kilos of processed tomatoes coming largely from the Xinjiang region, a choice mainly dictated by economic reasons. In fact, the Chinese product cost about half as much as the Italian tomato, which had pushed several companies to move towards low-cost imports.
However, in the first nine months of 2025, Chinese exports to Italy collapsed by more than 76% compared to the same period in 2024, with a value falling from over 75 million dollars to less than 13 million. And the rest of Europe also recorded a similar drop, above 67%. One consequence is that 600-700 thousand tonnes of unsold concentrate are now accumulating in Chinese producing regions, equivalent to around six months of exports.
Among the main causes of this collapse there are two factors: the accusations on the use of forced labor of Uyghurs in the tomato harvest and the reports of food fraud in Italy. Some Italian companies had come under fire for having affixed the “100% Italian” label to products containing Chinese concentrate.
The western Chinese region of Xinjiang dramatically increased tomato cultivation and processing in recent years, but slumping sales to Italy and other western European markets have left it sitting on a vast stockpile of unsold paste. https://t.co/a3CJ22ADJX pic.twitter.com/U2IbGrEeLT
— Financial Times (@FT) November 16, 2025
The revenge of the Italian tomato?
After years of competition from Chinese tomato concentrate, the harvest in Italy in 2025 confirms the leading role of Made in Italy. The 2025 campaign closed with 5.8 million tons of processed tomatoes, confirming Italy as the second largest processing country in the world after the United States and ahead of China.
Despite the difficulties linked to drought, especially in Puglia, and the increase in raw material costs, production therefore recorded significant results, with an increase in the North of +27.6% compared to 2024.
According to ANICAV, the campaign was “particularly long and complex”, but it remains a confirmation of the value of our national production, with the aim of rebalancing the supply chain, improving agricultural and industrial yields and guaranteeing fair remuneration for all the sectors involved.
The advance of the Egyptian tomato
However, there is no need to lower your guard. In fact, in recent months, it seems that the import of tomato derivatives from Egypt is growing strongly, with an estimated increase of up to +495% in recent years. And this is obviously worrying.
As Luigi Scordamaglia, CEO of Filiera Italia, recalled:
EU legislation on pesticides and food safety is among the most stringent in the world, while in Egypt the regulatory framework is less stringent and the effectiveness of import controls is limited.
Egyptian competition therefore remains an issue to monitor, especially in terms of regulations, food safety and product traceability.
Sources: Financial Times / Anicav
