The Tomato Throne: Italy's Total Crop, Spain's Fresh Crown
The EU-27 harvested 16 902.2 thousand tonnes of tomatoes in 2024 — an official aggregate and the largest vegetable line in the table. Italy took 6 022.8 thousand tonnes of it, 35.6% of the union total, with Spain second at 4 574.3 (27.1%), Portugal third at 1 762.5 (10.4%) and Poland fourth at 1 018.7 (6.0%).
Split the crop by destination and the leader changes. Fresh tomatoes are led by Spain at 1 651.0 thousand tonnes (25.3%), ahead of Italy at 1 189.0 (18.2%), Poland at 933.8 (14.3%) and the Netherlands at 828.5 (12.7%). The EU figure here is a member-state sum of 6 530.5 thousand tonnes, because the official aggregate line reports only 2015 and 2018 inside the decade. Italy leads the total crop; Spain leads the fresh market.
The rest of the crop goes to processing: 61.4% of the 2024 tomato harvest. That ratio is the structural fact of the EU tomato sector — nearly two thirds of the volume is an ingredient, not a salad. Italy's decade series shows the stability behind it: 6 410.3 thousand tonnes in 2015, a dip to 5 777.6 in 2019, a peak of 6 644.8 in 2021 and 6 022.8 in 2024. Spain's total line moved the other way over the same window, from 4 832.7 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 4 574.3 in 2024, with a low of 3 651.9 in 2022.
Tomato production and 2024 ranking, EU-27, dataset apro_cpsh1 (1 000 t). * The fresh-tomato EU figure is a member-state sum; the official aggregate line reports only 2015 and 2018 in the window.
| Crop line | EU-27 2024 (1 000 t) | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total tomatoes (V3100) | 16 902.2 | Italy 6 022.8 (35.6%) | Spain 4 574.3 (27.1%) | Portugal 1 762.5 (10.4%) | Poland 1 018.7 (6.0%) |
| Fresh tomatoes (V3110) | 6 530.5* | Spain 1 651.0 (25.3%) | Italy 1 189.0 (18.2%) | Poland 933.8 (14.3%) | Netherlands 828.5 (12.7%) |
Onion Momentum: The Decade's Steadiest Gain
Onions are the decade's clearest vegetable growth story. The official EU-27 line rose from 5 730.5 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 7 019.9 in 2024 — a net +22.5% — while still moving enough around its average to post a CV of 8.0%. Growth and volatility in the same line.
The Netherlands drives the momentum: 1 803.3 thousand tonnes in 2024, 25.7% of the EU crop — more than a quarter from one member state. Spain follows with 1 390.8 (19.8%), Germany with 848.4 (12.1%) and France with 721.8 (10.3%). The Dutch series shows both faces of the +22.5% decade: 1 504.1 thousand tonnes in 2015, a low of 1 264.8 in 2018, a high of 1 916.4 in 2021 and 1 803.3 in 2024.
That combination places onions at the bumpy end of the steady group — behind peppers (7.6%), courgettes (5.2%) and cucumbers (5.0%) on the reliability table, but far steadier than the crops that swing double digits. For buyers, +22.5% means a widening supply base; an 8.0% CV means keeping a buffer.
Onions (V4210), 2024 ranking and decade change, EU-27 official line, dataset apro_cpsh1 (1 000 t).
| Country | 2024 (1 000 t) | Share of EU-27 | Decade note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1 803.3 | 25.7% | Series low 1 264.8 (2018), high 1 916.4 (2021) |
| Spain | 1 390.8 | 19.8% | — |
| Germany | 848.4 | 12.1% | — |
| France | 721.8 | 10.3% | — |
| EU-27 total | 7 019.9 | 100% | +22.5% vs 5 730.5 in 2015, CV 8.0% |
The Steadiest Shelves: Reading the CVs
Reliability in vegetable statistics has one standard number: the coefficient of variation (CV) — the standard deviation of a decade of annual EU production around its own average, in percent. Measured on the official EU-27 aggregate over 2015-2024, the steadiest sizeable harvests are beetroot (CV 3.1%), strawberries (3.2%) and lettuces (3.5%), with cucumbers (5.0%), courgettes (5.2%), peppers (7.6%) and onions (8.0%) following.
Fresh tomatoes carry the disclosure: CV 0.4% (aggregate) / 4.3% (member sum). The aggregate line reports only two years inside the window — 6 703.5 thousand tonnes in 2015 and 6 752.3 in 2018 — so the 0.4% describes two points, while the member-summed full decade gives 4.3%, from 6 703.5 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 6 530.5 in 2024. Both readings say the same thing directionally: the EU's largest fresh vegetable harvest is a predictable one.
Coverage varies by crop: lettuces and beetroot report nine years of the ten, strawberries all ten. A low CV says the harvest does not move; it does not say where it is going. That is why this review pairs the steady number with the decade direction in every section — reliability and trend are two different questions.
CV = coefficient of variation of the EU-27 aggregate annual production, 2015-2024, dataset apro_cpsh1. "Aggregate years" counts the years the EU-27 line itself reports; fresh tomatoes use the member-summed decade alongside the two-point aggregate.
| Crop | EU-27 CV 2015-2024 | Aggregate years in window |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh tomatoes | 0.4% (aggregate) / 4.3% (member sum) | 2 |
| Beetroot | 3.1% | 9 |
| Strawberries | 3.2% | 10 |
| Lettuces | 3.5% | 9 |
| Cucumbers | 5.0% | 10 |
| Courgettes | 5.2% | 10 |
| Peppers (capsicum) | 7.6% | 10 |
| Onions | 8.0% | 10 |
Chicory at Two Speeds: Fresh Down, Processing Reversing
Chicory is two markets moving at two speeds. Fresh chicory (V2710) fell on its official line from 569.2 thousand tonnes in 2016 to 484.3 in 2024 — a net -14.9% over seven reported years. The member-summed cross-check tells the same story: 563.7 thousand tonnes in 2015 (25 reporters) to 484.3 in 2024 (27), -14.1% over the full decade.
Chicory for processing (V2720) rose across its official window — 552.0 thousand tonnes in 2016 to 770.1 in 2022, +39.5% over five reported years — and then the official series stops. The member sums continue the story, and it is not a boom: 557.2 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 530.2 in 2024, -4.8% over the decade, with the 2024 value the lowest of the decade. Processing chicory rose through 2022 and then hit its decade low.
Total chicory (V2700) nets the two at -9.5%: 1 121.4 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 1 014.5 in 2024. The honest reading is the two-speed one: the reported processing window looks like a boom, the full decade of member sums looks like a slow decline, and the fresh line falls on both measures. A buyer who read only 2016-2022 would book the opposite decade of the one that actually closed.
Chicory at EU level, 2015-2024, dataset apro_cpsh1 (1 000 t). Official windows count only the years the EU-27 aggregate line reports; member sums fill every year and are used as the cross-check.
| Chicory line | Official window | Net change (official) | Member sum 2015 (1 000 t) | Member sum 2024 (1 000 t) | Member-sum net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh (V2710) | 2016-2024 (n=7) | -14.9% (569.2 → 484.3) | 563.7 | 484.3 | -14.1% |
| Processing (V2720) | 2016-2022 (n=5) | +39.5% (552.0 → 770.1) | 557.2 | 530.2 | -4.8% |
| Total (V2700) | 2015-2024 (n=8) | -9.5% (1 121.4 → 1 014.5) | 1 121.4 | 1 014.5 | -9.5% |
What the Greenhouse Share Says About Winter Supply
The destination split is the closest thing the open-field vegetable table has to a greenhouse signal. Of the 2024 tomato crop, 61.4% goes to processing — harvested ripe and shelf-stable, essentially a summer pipeline — while the fresh line of 6 530.5 thousand tonnes (member sum) must reach supermarket shelves in every month of the year.
The fresh line is where protected cultivation carries the winter. The Netherlands supplies 828.5 thousand tonnes of fresh tomatoes, 12.7% of the EU fresh crop, from one of the world's densest glasshouse clusters. Our covered-crop series tracks that machinery crop by crop: the glass harvest map of the five covered vegetables, the Dutch glass model, Spain's glass empire, and the dedicated reviews of covered cucumbers, lettuce and strawberries.
The CV table points the same way. The steady cool-season shelves — lettuces (3.5%), strawberries (3.2%), cucumbers (5.0%) — are among the crops Europe grows under cover, and protected cultivation flattens the seasonal swing open fields cannot. Read that way, the 2024 green report has three layers: a processing pipeline for the pantry, a glass-grown fresh supply for the winter, and a reliable northern vegetable basket underneath both.
Signals from the 2024 vegetable table, dataset apro_cpsh1. The winter-supply readings are an interpretation of the splits and CVs, not values published in the dataset.
| Signal | 2024 value | What it says about winter supply |
|---|---|---|
| Processing share of tomato crop | 61.4% | The bulk of the tomato volume is a summer-harvested, shelf-stable ingredient pipeline |
| Fresh tomato crop (member sum) | 6 530.5 (1 000 t) | The volume that must reach shelves fresh — the part that leans on protected cultivation in winter |
| Netherlands, fresh tomatoes | 828.5 (1 000 t), 12.7% of EU fresh | A glass-grown pillar of the fresh line, tracked in the covered-crop reviews |
| Lettuce / strawberry / cucumber CV | 3.5% / 3.2% / 5.0% | Steady year-round shelves — consistent with cover smoothing the seasons |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tomatoes did the EU grow in 2024?
16 902.2 thousand tonnes on the official EU-27 line — Italy 6 022.8 (35.6%), Spain 4 574.3 (27.1%), Portugal 1 762.5 (10.4%) and Poland 1 018.7 (6.0%). Fresh tomatoes are led by Spain with 1 651.0 thousand tonnes of a 6 530.5 thousand tonne member-summed crop, and 61.4% of the total harvest goes to processing.
Which country leads EU onion production?
The Netherlands: 1 803.3 thousand tonnes in 2024, 25.7% of the official EU-27 total of 7 019.9. Spain follows with 1 390.8 (19.8%), Germany 848.4 (12.1%) and France 721.8 (10.3%); the EU total is up 22.5% since 2015.
Which EU vegetable harvests are the steadiest?
On the official 2015-2024 aggregate: beetroot (CV 3.1%), strawberries (3.2%) and lettuces (3.5%), with cucumbers (5.0%), courgettes (5.2%), peppers (7.6%) and onions (8.0%) behind them. Fresh tomatoes show CV 0.4% (aggregate) / 4.3% (member sum) — the aggregate line reports only 2015 and 2018 in the window, so the member-summed decade is the fuller measure.
Is chicory production growing or shrinking in the EU?
It depends on the line. Fresh chicory (V2710) fell -14.9% on its official 2016-2024 series, from 569.2 to 484.3 thousand tonnes. Chicory for processing (V2720) rose +39.5% over its reported 2016-2022 window, but the member sums show 2024 at 530.2 thousand tonnes — the decade low, -4.8% on 2015. Total chicory is down -9.5%, from 1 121.4 to 1 014.5 thousand tonnes.
Source data extracted from Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
This article was generated using AI. The content is based on Eurostat data and is provided as a starting point — please verify all data with the original source.
