Those tomatoes served at Spanish terraces in the summer? They're likely from Dutch and Belgian greenhouses

In the summer, there is a remarkable reversal in Europe's tomato trade: The Netherlands and Belgium export tomatoes to Spain. Whereas Spanish tomatoes head north in the winter, the product flows in the opposite direction during the warm months. In 2024, the Netherlands exported almost 38 million kilograms of tomatoes to Spain, with more than 70% between June and August. Belgium supplied eight million kilograms in the same period.

This trend is also clearing on the rise, with Belgian summer exports climbing significantly since 2018. The Netherlands, too, sees higher volumes leaving year-on-year. That is primarily due to the increasingly extreme summer climate in southern Europe. Spanish growers struggle with heat, plant stress, and diseases like the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV). Climate control is difficult in the often low-tech plastic greenhouses, so yields fall in the summer. Dutch and Belgian high-tech greenhouses, on the other hand, can produce stable yields, even in hot months.

According to Belgium's Maarten Verhaegen from BelOrta and Liliane Driesen from VLAM, the boiling Spanish summers are directly responsible for increased demand for tomatoes from Northern Europe. "As soon as the heatwaves hit southern Europe, we notice it in our export figures," says Maarten. The summer of 2025 started early with record temperatures, which further boosted exports from northwestern Europe.

Those exports consist mainly of loose tomatoes, which are most popular in Spain. BelOrta also sees growth in beef tomatoes and specialties like plum and cherry vine tomatoes. Those are tailored to Spanish demand, so are often lighter colored and last longer. And exports started in May, earlier than in previous years.

Bell pepper summer exports are climbing, too. Extreme heat and disease pressure in Spain can cause fruits to burn, leading to increased demand from the north, especially for the red varieties. That reiterates that 2025 is an exceptional year, but it is also part of a broader trend in Europe where southern cultivation problems benefit northern growers.

Yet, one must place those figures in perspective. Spain is still far from being the top market for, particularly, Dutch growers. Germany remains the largest destination, by far, accounting for 35% of tomato exports from the Netherlands (more than 330 million kilograms in 2023). Spain is not even in the top six.

The shift is interesting, though, since it illustrates climate change's impact on European food flows. When southern Europe struggles to produce enough high-quality tomatoes in the summer, the controlled Dutch and Belgian greenhouses can fill that gap. Tourists in Spain or Italy are, thus, increasingly eating 'Dutch' tomatoes on sunny terraces – without even knowing it.

The rising summer exports to Spain were also a talking point at Fruit Attraction in Madrid (September 30 - October 2). VLAM, BelOrta, and other exporters were at that trade exhibition. The trend shows how climate effects and technological advances in cultivation shape new trade flows in Europe.

Voor meer informatie:
BelOrta
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