In the 2018-2019 agricultural cycle, industrial tomato production in the region of Azuero was 6,500 tons, 8% more than in the previous period, mainly because of more favorable weather conditions.

Figures from the Association of Industrial Tomato Producers specify that between the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 agricultural cycle, a 500-ton increase in fruit production was reported, going from 6,000 to 6,500 tons.

You may be interested “Crops: Main Figures in Central America”

Celestino Rivera, president of the Association of Industrial Tomato Producers, told Prensa.com that “… In Azuero, 75 growers planted 125 hectares of industrial tomatoes, 15 less than last year. In this season the climate was in our favor, but it is necessary to use better seeds, which are more resistant to attack by pests and increase yields per hectare of fruit.”

The article adds that “… Thanks to the high temperatures, yields per hectare exceeded 1,500 quintals. The tomato quintal was sold for 8.50 dollars to the company Nestlé Panama, and the government will have to pay 1 dollar per quintal to producers who harvest more than one thousand quintals per hectare.”