Tomato farmers in Egypt are suffering heavy losses this season, following the collapse of prices as a result of the abundance of supply. This abundance is due to an unexpected expansion in cultivated areas, coinciding with a severe heatwave that hastened the ripening of the fruit and increased production, leading to a huge surplus that neither the local markets nor the tomato paste factories could absorb. As a result, a large part of the crop was spoiled, whether in the fields because of delayed picking, or during transport because of trucks piling up in front of the factories, while farmers continued to pay transport and labour costs without any return.
These losses are accompanied by warnings that a large number of farmers will refrain from growing tomatoes in the coming seasons, which could threaten local supply and open the door to sharp price fluctuations.
Sherif Abu Habara, a tomato farmer and agricultural supplies trader from Borg El-Arab in Alexandria Governorate, tells Zawia3 that cultivation costs have doubled, while selling prices have fallen to unprecedented levels, leading to harsh losses. He explains that the cultivation of summer tomatoes usually begins in February or April, and the harvest season continues until mid-September. Over his years of work, a feddan used to yield profits of up to EGP 50,000, but the situation has changed; this year the cost of cultivating a feddan reached between EGP 130,000 and EGP 150,000, owing to rises in the prices of fertilisers and pesticides of up to two-thirds.
Abu Habara points out that the market has come under the control of big traders and companies, as production input companies have expanded sales on credit, which pushed many farmers to expand into areas beyond their financial capacity. He disclosed personal losses of about EGP 15 million after planting 115 feddans, attributing this to the entry of inexperienced farmers who make up about 60% of all producers, which led to the market being flooded with the crop.
He adds: “Seed companies put high-yielding varieties on the market at a time when exports had stopped, so prices collapsed, with a kilo selling for just one pound, while the value of a feddan sold does not exceed EGP 10,000.”
He criticises the absence of the Ministry of Agriculture, stressing that government support does not exceed 5%, in the form of chemicals of limited effectiveness, without the provision of seeds or fertilisers, which leaves farmers at the mercy of private companies. He proposes imposing strict government oversight of the market and regulating cultivated areas, as is the case with the rice crop, in addition to controlling the activity of seed and fertiliser companies.
For his part, Talaat Annous, a farmer from Kafr El-Sheikh, explains that the cost of cultivating a feddan of tomatoes in the summer planting cycle ranges between EGP 100,000 and EGP 120,000, because of the need for special care amid the intense heat. He adds that most farmers work on rented land, which raises the cost further, as rent ranges between EGP 30,000 and EGP 50,000 per feddan.
Annous tells Zawia3: “Production costs rose this year by about 30% compared with last year, with increases in the prices of fertilisers and pesticides, and the price of a kilo of imported seeds jumped to EGP 8,500, after it previously ranged between EGP 2,000 and EGP 3,000.”
Regarding current prices, he explains that a crate of tomatoes sells for between EGP 50 and EGP 65, while the cost of picking and transport reaches EGP 30 or 40, which leaves a slim or non-existent profit margin. He points out that a feddan may not sell for more than EGP 20,000, which means net losses that may reach EGP 80,000 to 90,000 per feddan.
Annous believes that the cause of the crisis is the abundance of production resulting from a large number of farmers rushing to grow tomatoes after their prices rose last year. He considered that the statements of the head of the Farmers Syndicate about high profits encouraged non-specialists to enter the field and contributed to worsening the crisis.
He explains that solution paths such as processing or export have not helped absorb the surplus, as factories are unable to take in the quantities and sometimes delay unloading shipments for several days, which leads to spoilage. Exports also cover no more than 3 to 5% of production, and are limited to short periods. As for drying, it requires varieties that are not grown in the summer planting cycle.
Annous stresses that the losses have continued since December 2024, and that many are forced to continue farming since it is their only source of livelihood, calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to intervene urgently to market the surplus and ease the losses, and to set a guidance policy that helps farmers choose the crops in demand in the local and export markets.
In the same context, Omar El-Abbasi, a farmer from the Bangar El-Sukkar area, says that the costs of cultivating a feddan of tomatoes reach about EGP 180,000, including EGP 25,000 for seedlings, EGP 20,000 for manure, EGP 20,000 for a modern irrigation network and EGP 50,000 for land rent, in addition to EGP 65,000 for the expenses of labour, diesel, fertilisers and pesticides.
El-Abbasi points out that a feddan barely produces 1,000 crates, and if a crate is sold for EGP 100, the return reaches EGP 100,000, from which about EGP 50,000 is deducted for the costs of picking, transport and commissions, leaving the farmer only EGP 50,000 against a cost of EGP 180,000, that is, a certain loss.
He tells Zawia3: “A hosha, meaning a plot of land made up of six feddans, costs EGP 600,000 to farm, and does not sell now for more than EGP 200,000 only, at a loss of up to EGP 400,000, and the farmer may be unable to sell even at this price.”
He explains that these calculations concern an ideal case of a healthy crop, whereas if it is struck by a pest such as worms or weevils, the return may not exceed EGP 20,000, which increases the size of the loss. He points out that even landowners, who do not pay rent, are incurring heavy losses in this situation.
Supply Exceeds Demand
The head of the Farmers Syndicate, Hussein Abu Saddam, speaking to Zawia3, attributes the causes of the current crisis that tomato farmers are suffering to three main factors: first, the unprecedented expansion in the areas planted with tomatoes this year; second, the rise in production rates beyond the needs of the local market; and third, the heatwaves that accelerated the ripening of the crop. As a result, supply exceeded the volume of demand, which led to a fall in tomato prices in wholesale and retail markets.
Abu Saddam points out that there has been a large expansion in tomato cultivation, not only on agricultural land, but also on terraces and rooftops, noting that farmers’ rush to grow this crop is the most important factor in determining its price. He expects prices to see a slight rise between planting cycles, but he warns that the reluctance of a large number of farmers to plant could lead to unexpected price jumps in the market.
The head of the Farmers Syndicate stresses that the volume of Egypt’s tomato exports does not exceed a tiny proportion of total production, which highlights the need to open new export markets and to expand the establishment of tomato paste factories capable of absorbing the surplus. He also called for the Ministry of Agriculture to adopt a “contract farming” system with tomato producers to secure the marketing of the crop before it is planted.
For his part, Hatem El-Naggib, Vice President of the Vegetables Division, explained to Zawia3 that summer-cycle farmers did not make profits this year, given the abundance of production and the market’s reliance on the mechanisms of supply and demand, which caused prices to collapse.
El-Naggib says: “What farmers reaped after picking did not cover production costs, and this is something that recurs from time to time. But these losses can be made up in later seasons. The most important thing is that farmers continue to farm, and that we ensure a balance between the interests of the producer and the consumer.”
He adds that tomato prices in the wholesale market currently range between EGP 3.5 and EGP 4 per kilo, while they are sold to consumers in retail markets at a price ranging between EGP 6 and EGP 7, expecting this decline to continue until the end of the summer, with prices remaining subject to fluctuations in supply and demand during the winter.
According to data from the Agricultural Research Center, the area planted with tomatoes in Egypt amounts to about 367,000 feddans, with an annual production of up to 6.7 million tonnes. By contrast, tomato exports in 2024 did not exceed the 52,000-tonne mark, while more than 80,000 tonnes were exported during the first half of 2025, which highlights the large gap between the volume of production and current export capacity.
Changing the Agricultural Map
Dr Tarek Abu Moussa, professor of agricultural economics at the Agricultural Research Center, explains that Egypt grows nearly 400,000 feddans of tomatoes distributed over three planting cycles, summer, winter and Nili, and produces about 6 million tonnes annually, which places it first in the Arab world and Africa, and sixth in the world, in tomato production.
He tells Zawia3: “This crisis is not new; it has recurred with other strategic crops such as potatoes, onions, cotton, wheat, maize and soybeans.” He attributes the crisis to the absence of a clear agricultural map, and the lack of pricing policies that guarantee the farmer a minimum income protecting him from market fluctuations. He also points to the weak use of the surplus of vegetable crops, owing to the lack of sufficient factories near production areas, which hastens the spoilage of crops.
He adds that the increase in supply is mainly due to an ill-considered expansion of cultivated areas, in addition to the rise in the costs of production inputs. The crop was also negatively affected by climate change and the spread of pests and fungal diseases, as well as the decline in exports to Arab and European countries due to the political situation in past periods.
Abu Moussa proposes a solution consisting of the creation of a precise agricultural map, a fair pricing policy and strengthening the role of marketing cooperatives, in addition to setting up factories close to cultivation areas and activating the contract farming system to ensure secure marketing for farmers.
For his part, Dr Ahmed Mahmoud Abdel Dayem, emeritus professor at the Horticulture Research Institute, stresses that tomato farmers’ losses this season are mainly due to increased production and the crops’ exposure to heat stress resulting from high temperatures, which led to a large surplus and a collapse in prices.
He points out that high temperatures weaken the productivity of plants and expose them to stress, noting that among the scientific solutions to this phenomenon is the construction of properly designed windbreaks, capable of lowering temperatures by between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius, thus protecting crops from direct damage.
Abdel Dayem believes that expanding agricultural processing is the optimal solution for using the surplus, by converting tomatoes into juices or processed products, instead of putting them entirely on the markets fresh, which will help limit the collapse of prices.
He tells Zawia3: “It is not possible to rely only on the private sector in this field; the state is required to intervene, whether by providing budgets or by commissioning factories to produce tomato paste for government bodies such as the Ministry of Supply, as is the case with the wheat crop, which guarantees the farmer a fair marketing mechanism.”
Abdel Dayem stresses that the agricultural map needs a comprehensive review, pointing out that the Agricultural Research Center is the body responsible for preparing it so that it covers all types of crops. He insists that this map must be based on accurate seasonal data, analysed scientifically, to avoid the recurrence of crises.
He adds that agricultural planning should start from estimating the actual market needs for each crop, then determining the cultivated areas based on these estimates, calling for the reinstatement of the “crop rotation” system, which distributes crops in a studied way throughout the year and prevents random surpluses.
In the same context, Dr Mohamed Abdel Tawab, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture for the Land Reclamation Sector, explains to Zawia3 that tomato production is directly affected by weather factors, stressing that abundant production occurs when climatic conditions are favourable, but the Egyptian market relies on the consumption of fresh tomatoes to a greater degree than on processed products.
He points out that expanding agricultural processing is a necessity to dispose of the surplus, in addition to regulating cultivation in a way that prevents haphazardness, as each farmer should not plant whatever he wants without studying the market’s need.
Abdel Tawab proposes establishing specialised cooperatives for each crop, in which the farmer registers, and these cooperatives would provide production inputs and market the crops in return for a percentage of the profits, in a way that ensures the sustainability of the agricultural process. He also calls for the establishment of small processing units to produce tomato paste in agricultural areas, along with support for export routes.
He notes that drying tomatoes has become widespread in Upper Egypt, where they are dried on racks in the sunlight. The technique of “lyophilisation” or “freeze-drying” can also be used, an advanced technique for removing water from tomatoes by freezing them and then exposing them to low pressure, which allows the ice to turn directly into vapour without passing through the liquid state, preserving their shape and nutritional value for a longer period.
The tomato crop is one of the most important strategic vegetable crops, as its area across the country is estimated at more than 367,000 feddans, with production exceeding 6.7 million tonnes annually, and tomatoes rank ninth among Egypt’s fresh agricultural exports, with a quantity of about 52,000 tonnes in 2024 and more than 80,000 tonnes during the first half of 2025.
A Parliamentary Move
In the context of the crisis, MP Mahmoud Essam, a member of the House of Representatives, submitted a briefing request to Counsellor Dr Hanafy Gebaly, Speaker of Parliament, addressed to the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, regarding the heavy losses suffered by tomato farmers during the current season, stressing the importance of drawing up an “agro-industrial map” linking agricultural production with manufacturing needs.
The MP demanded that the government clarify the reasons for the gap between production costs and the prices traded in the market, and state whether there is a clear strategy for surveying cultivated areas and linking them to agricultural processing plans in a way that ensures price stability is maintained and a rewarding return is achieved for farmers. He also asked about the government’s steps to expand agricultural processing projects in a way that enhances the sustainability of production and raises the added value of crops.
The current tomato crisis embodies a miniature model of the structural problems facing the agricultural sector in Egypt, where farmers incur heavy losses amid a mix of high production costs, climate fluctuations and the absence of rigorous planning. With the multiplicity of proposed solutions, from controlling cultivated areas to developing processing and export systems, the need remains pressing for comprehensive government intervention that ensures a balance between the interests of the producer and the consumer, and preserves the continued cultivation of one of the most important food crops in the country.
For the crisis is no longer merely a seasonal imbalance or a temporary surplus; rather, its continuation amid climate change and the challenges of the open market raises a fundamental question about the future of agriculture in Egypt, and what policies we need to ensure fair and sustainable food security.
