On Saturday, the streets of downtown Almeria were dressed in red to proclaim loudly that 'Almeria is the World Capital of Tomato.' More than 20,000 people participated in the celebration. They were able to enjoy eating tomatoes in breakfasts, snacks, and healthy gazpachos; visit the exhibitors of agricultural companies, and participate in numerous recreational activities and exhibitions, among other family-oriented proposals that took place throughout the morning.
On March 4, the city successfully celebrated the ninth edition of the 'Almeria World Tomato Capital' event. According to data by the Junta de Andalucía, Almeria exported 395,392 tons of tomatoes in the 2021-22 campaign, a very similar volume to the previous campaign, for 673 million euros, i.e., 29% or 151 million euros more than in 2020-2021.
An event supported by institutions and companies
This event is possible thanks to the commitment of the City Council of Almería, the Provincial Council, the Junta de Andalucía, and Cajamar. It is inspired by La Voz de Almería and Ser and has the collaboration of different companies, including Agroponiente, Ecoinver, Campojoyma, Casi, Coprohnijar, Eurosol, Grupo La Caña, Hortamar, La Unión, Unica Group and Vicasol, who have donated different varieties of tomatoes to make the 'Solidarity Bag' that was sold for one euro; the earnings of which -like other solidarity activities -will be given to the NGOs Anda and Asperger.
The main authorities of the province also participated in the event. Javier A. Garcia, the president of the Provincial Council, highlighted the goals of the event that, just like the tomato, is part of the province's heritage.
"Today, we consolidate ourselves as the World Tomato Capital. We highlight the innovation behind this product, which is part of the province's heritage, and that has allowed us to become the province with the most agricultural technical engineers per square meter while promoting one of Almeria's most important values: solidarity," he stated.
Aranzazu Martin, a delegate of the Government of the Junta de Andalucía in Almeria, highlighted, "The important commitment of Almeria's agricultural sector to sustainable production, as the sector has 8,600 hectares of tomato in the 2022-23 campaign, i.e., a 5.7% increase in surface area over the last season."
Aranzazu Martín also stated that these kinds of activities: "Are an example of the collaboration and commitment of the administrations to highlight the best of our land, such as the tomato, which has become a hallmark of the best of our agricultural sector."