Overview
- - Tomato prices in Mexico have jumped sharply in March, with INEGI data showing year‑over‑year increases of up to 152% and shoppers in some Mexico City markets reporting as much as 80 pesos per kilogram.
- - Mexico now leads the world in tomato exports, and about 90% of its shipments go to the United States, where frost‑hit fields lifted demand and drew more fruit away from local shelves.
- - Production has been squeezed by extreme drought in Sinaloa and Sonora along with higher costs for fertilizer, energy, transport, and pest control, which raise farm costs and flow through to retail prices.
- - Trade tensions also reshaped supply after the United States imposed a 17% tariff in July 2025, which industry leaders say discouraged planting and helped push wholesale box prices from roughly $8 to near $50.
- - Families are trimming purchases or swapping ingredients to stretch budgets, while Profeco price checks and short crop cycles suggest relief may take time because growers need new plantings to come online.