Tomato prices collapse in Rabia as bumper harvest overwhelms market, farmers call for urgent government support

NINEVEH — Farmers and traders at the Rabia wholesale market are sounding the alarm over plummeting tomato prices following a bumper harvest, urging buyers from across Iraq to act quickly and calling on the government to step in before losses mount further.

More than 4,000 tons of tomatoes are arriving at the market daily, supplying Baghdad and southern governorates. Despite the high quality of local varieties, a 40-kilogram batch is selling for as little as 2,000 dinars ($1.43) — a price farmers say is unsustainably low.

“We have a huge surplus in production, and we hope more traders come to the market,” said Khamis Qwais, owner of the Rabia market. “The current tomato price is extremely low, just 2,000 dinars for 40 kilos. This sharp drop is a catastrophic loss for farmers.”

Qwais emphasized the quality and volume of tomatoes available and urged the government to take structural action to prevent long-term damage. “The best solution in my view is for the government to open tomato paste factories in every tomato-producing area,” he said. “Rabia’s production alone is enough to supply the entire Iraqi market. There is no need to import tomatoes.”

Baghdad-based trader Naseer Shahmani agreed, calling this year’s crop one of the largest in recent memory but warning that the surplus had created a severe marketing bottleneck. “It is essential to support farmers by establishing tomato paste factories,” he said, citing existing facilities like the Nu’maniya factory — the largest in Iraq — as well as plants in Diyala and Balad.

“Why do we import low-quality tomato paste at high prices when we have this surplus?” Shahmani asked. He urged the government to reactivate idle plants to absorb domestic output and ensure farmers can continue producing efficiently. He also noted the diversity of local seeds, including popular varieties like Noura, Tala, and Jessi.

Shahmani attributed part of the price collapse to a decline in tomato imports, which have become more expensive, increasing reliance on local supply. But weak domestic demand has left the market flooded.

Farmer Abu Ahmed described the harvest as “a blessing from God,” but lamented the lack of buyers, particularly from southern provinces. “We’re at the end of the season, and some traders are still late to arrive,” he said. “There is low demand in the market, and if these low prices continue, farmers will suffer losses that are hard to recover from.”

He called on the government to intervene immediately to prevent the season from turning into a financial disaster.