According to a Russian importer based in St. Petersburg, the Russian crisis, in combination with the rainy and cold weather in Morocco, has caused a major drop this week in tomato prices.
Tomato prices have dropped by half this week compared to last week. Prices 10 days ago were around $2 per kilo and have now dropped to around $1.15 per kilo (450-500 roubles for 6 kg).
The company, who receives around 2 containers of tomatoes every week from Morocco and Egypt said that the recent boycott of tomatoes from Turkey will not affect them because they were already not sourcing from the country due to quality issues. A representative said that they, 'had received tomatoes indirectly from Turkey in the past, but they have always felt that Moroccan tomatoes were of better quality, which is very important to their customers.'
Round and cherry tomatoes are currently the most in demand for the Russian market and are holding strong. In the current financial climate, importers are not looking at any new varieties or different sizing, quality and price rules the retailer demand.
