The 2023 tomato processing campaign in Italy ended with 5.4 million tons of product produced, a modest decrease (-1.3%) over 2022. The processing sector has had to deal with a protracted and arduous fight with rising manufacturing costs. This year's weather presented significant challenges, as it was increasingly marked by strong and unexpected events, resulting in numerous production shutdowns and extending the processing time until the beginning of November. In detail, the North processed 2.8 million tons (-3% on 2022), while the Center South processed 2.6 million tons, a number consistent with the previous campaign despite a higher investment in hectares (+5%) compared to last year. There was a decrease in agricultural yields in both production basins, which matched to a decrease in industrial yields of derivatives meant for the final consumer due to the necessity to use more raw material to ensure high quality standards.
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