Spanish tomato decline versus Polish growth
Source: HD.com
Poland (+18.1%) and Belgium (+13.5%) recorded clear growth, while the Netherlands (-13.6%) and France (-16.7%) saw declines. Together, Spain, Italy, Poland, and the Netherlands account for more than 70% of EU tomato production, which totalled 6.53 million tonnes in 2024.
Greenhouse production has become the norm for tomatoes, though its share is under slight pressure: on average, 81% of the EU tomato production came from greenhouses in 2015–2017, compared with 79.5% in 2022–2024. In 2024, greenhouse area accounted for barely 45% of total tomato area, highlighting the far higher productivity of protected cultivation.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, tomato growing is almost entirely a greenhouse affair, with a share of close to 100% throughout the entire period. Spain saw its greenhouse share edge upward, from an average of 86.2% to 89.5%, while Poland's greenhouse tomato harvest grew strongly by 28.2%.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
