Recently, the price of tomatoes in China has been on the rise, with some regions experiencing increases of up to 10 times. Industry experts indicate that tomato prices are expected to remain high. This news quickly became a hot topic and trended online.
According to a report by Xinhua News on January 13th, in the Nangucheng area of Yanggu County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province on January 8th, locally grown premium tomatoes were being sold at 5 yuan per 500 grams (per jin), almost double the price compared to last year. The purchase price increased from 1.6-1.9 yuan per 500 grams during the same period in 2025 to the current range of 2.5-3.8 yuan per 500 grams. In the largest shopping center in the area, packaged premium tomatoes are priced at 6.99 yuan for 500 grams.
In Shenzhen, the price of tomatoes started the year at 1-2 yuan per 500 grams, but now prices have surged to 7-10 yuan per 500 grams, with some premium varieties fetching over 13 yuan per 500 grams, representing a tenfold increase.
The upward trend in tomato prices began to emerge in December last year. According to data from the official website of Xinfa Market in Beijing, on December 30th, wholesale prices of black-framed tomatoes, boxed or foam-boxed tomatoes, and white-framed tomatoes had all increased by 168%, 138.46%, and 117.76% respectively compared to the same period last year.
Monitoring data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Communist Party of China showed that in December 2025, the national wholesale average price of tomatoes reached 8.59 yuan per kilogram. This price not only surged by 23.4% compared to the previous period but also increased by 76.4% compared to the same period in 2024. The peak price occurred on December 26th, 2025 when the wholesale average price reached 9.36 yuan per kilogram.
An Min, chief analyst of the vegetable market analysis and early warning team at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Communist Party of China, and assistant researcher at the Agricultural Information Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, pointed out that the skyrocketing tomato prices are a result of various factors such as reduced planting areas, extreme weather impacts, and seasonal cost increases.
As for the future direction of tomato prices, industry experts cited in the report suggest that the likelihood of tomato prices maintaining high levels in China before the Chinese New Year is higher, and it may take some time for prices to return to the usual levels seen during this period.