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Farm produce

Export tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes for nearby markets — mostly Bangladesh and Nepal by road, with smaller lots to the Gulf.

Free to exportHS 0702
HS code
0702
Tomatoes, fresh or chilled (0702 00 00). Tomato paste, ketchup and dried tomato fall in Chapter 20 or 07 12.
Export policy
Free to export
Export is Free under ITC(HS) Schedule 2; we found no recent restriction. Confirm current status on dgft.gov.in.
Registrations
4
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 33.7 mn
to 10 countries

What is exported

Fresh tomato exports were about US$ 34 million in 2025-26 (TradeStat). Bangladesh took more than half, followed by Nepal, the UAE, Bhutan, Oman and Qatar. Tomatoes are highly perishable, so trade is mostly by truck across land ports or by short reefer routes to the Gulf.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Pusa Ruby, Vaishali, Rupali, Rashmi, RajniVarieties named by APEDA; most export lots today are private-sector hybrids chosen for firmness.
  • Round and oval (plum) typesOval, thick-walled types travel better on long truck routes.

Where it is grown or made

  • KarnatakaKolar and Chikkaballapur.
  • Andhra PradeshMadanapalle and the Chittoor belt.
  • MaharashtraNashik and Narayangaon (Pune).
  • West Bengal, Bihar and OdishaSeasonal supply close to the Bangladesh and Nepal borders.

Season

Grown in several seasons across states, so some region is always harvesting; supply and prices swing sharply with the monsoon.

Export packing

  • Ventilated plastic crates or corrugated cartons of about 10–15 kg, single size per crate.
  • Pre-cooled before loading into reefers for the Gulf.

Who buys abroad

  • Wholesale market traders and importers in neighbouring countries
  • Supermarket and hypermarket chains in the Gulf
  • Hotel and catering suppliers

The quality buyers ask for

Maturity
Breaker to turning stage for long transit; pink to light red for short routes
Size and uniformity
One size grade per pack; firm, unbruised, no cracks
Residues
Destination MRLs; check APEDA’s MRL database

Certificates

  • APEDA RCMCRequiredRegistration with APEDA, issued as an RCMC on the DGFT portal; not needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB since 15 Sep 2026.
  • Phytosanitary certificateRequiredIssued by Plant Quarantine (DPPQS) for each consignment after inspection; apply on PQMS.
  • GLOBALG.A.P.Often askedFarm-level good agricultural practice certification wanted by European supermarket buyers of fresh produce.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

A 40-ft reefer typically holds about 20 pallets of crates or cartons; trucks for land routes.

How it travels

Road through land customs stations to Bangladesh and Nepal; reefer sea freight to the Gulf.

Storage

Pre-cool and hold typically at about 10–13 °C for mature-green fruit; never below about 10 °C (chilling injury).

Shelf life

Typically one to three weeks depending on maturity.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • Fresh produce cartons for the EU (Regulation 2023/2429): packer’s name and address, produce and variety, country of origin, class, size code and net weight.
  • Gulf countries: Arabic text (Arabic plus English is normal), production and expiry dates, net weight, country of origin and importer details. Confirm current rules with your importer.
  • Lot or batch number on every pack and bag — required by FSSAI’s Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020, and used by every importing country to trace and recall.
Where to get it tested

Use a laboratory on APEDA’s list of recognised laboratories (apeda.gov.in → Recognised Organisations), an FSSAI-notified lab, or a lab accredited by NABL for the test (nabl-india.org). Ask the buyer which reports they accept before sending samples.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • APEDARegistration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) for APEDA-scheduled products. Apply on the DGFT portal after you have your IEC.dgft.gov.in ↗
  • Plant Quarantine (DPPQS)Phytosanitary certificate for each consignment of plant produce, applied for online on PQMS. Some markets also want the packhouse or processing unit registered.pqms.cgg.gov.in ↗

Quality and checks

  • A phytosanitary certificate from Plant Quarantine for every consignment; some markets add treatment or pest-free-area conditions — check the importing country’s rules first.
  • Firm fruit picked at the breaker or turning stage for long trips; uniform colour and size in each crate; no cracks or sunscald.
  • Pesticide residues must meet the destination country’s MRLs; check them in APEDA’s International Pesticide MRL Database before you buy the crop.
How to start small

Begin with trucks to a known wholesaler in Bangladesh or Nepal through the nearest land customs station, or a mixed reefer of vegetables to a Gulf importer who already buys Indian produce. Since 15 September 2026, a consignment worth up to ₹3 lakh FOB does not need an RCMC (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27); registrations required by a law still apply.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • Price swings: domestic tomato prices change sharply within weeks, so fix prices for short periods only.
  • Delays at land ports: a day lost at the border can finish a load. Pre-file documents and pack in ventilated crates.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (5)
  1. Department of Commerce — TradeStat, India’s exports by commodity and country (2025-26)
  2. APEDA — Other fresh vegetables profile (varieties, states, 2025-26 destinations)
  3. Plant Quarantine (DPPQS) — PQMS portal for phytosanitary certificates
  4. APEDA — International Pesticide MRL Database
  5. DGFT Notification 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) — no RCMC needed for consignments up to ₹3 lakh FOB

Trade data

Indian tomatoes exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26
US$ 33.7 mn
+0.5% a year on average, 2020-21 to 2025-26
Change from 2024-25
↑ +39.3%
US$ 24.2 mn → US$ 33.7 mn
Buyer countries
10
Average export price
US$ 0.28
per kg · 1,18,923 tonnes shipped · US$ 0.29 the year before
Bangladesh: US$ 19.4 mnNepal: US$ 6.2 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 2.4 mnMaldives: US$ 2.3 mnBhutan: US$ 1.5 mnOman: US$ 1.1 mnQatar: US$ 750kBahrain: US$ 30kSingapore: US$ 10kUnited States of America: US$ 10kBangladesh: US$ 19.4 mnBangladeshNepal: US$ 6.2 mnNepalUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 2.4 mnUnited Arab EmiratesMaldives: US$ 2.3 mnMaldivesBhutan: US$ 1.5 mnOman: US$ 1.1 mnQatar: US$ 750kBahrain: US$ 30kSingapore: US$ 10kSingaporeUnited States of America: US$ 10kUnited States of AmericaIndia
Where Indian tomatoes goes — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 32.8 mn332020-212021-22: US$ 28.8 mn292021-222022-23: US$ 20.4 mn202022-232023-24: US$ 25 mn252023-242024-25: US$ 24.2 mn242024-252025-26: US$ 33.7 mn342025-26
India’s tomatoes exports, year by year · US$ million

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2020-21, lowest in 2022-23 — a 42% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

2020-21: US$ 0.37 per kg0.372021-22: US$ 0.31 per kg2022-23: US$ 0.26 per kg0.262024-25: US$ 0.29 per kg2025-26: US$ 0.28 per kg0.282020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Average export price of Indian tomatoes · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

2020-21: US$ 32.8 mn2020-212021-22: US$ 28.8 mn2021-222022-23: US$ 20.4 mn2022-232023-24: US$ 25 mn2023-242024-25: US$ 24.2 mn2024-252025-26: US$ 33.7 mn2025-262026-27: US$ 26.6 mn (US$ 19.8 mn – US$ 35.7 mn)272026-272027-28: US$ 26.4 mn (US$ 19 mn – US$ 36.8 mn)262027-28
India’s tomatoes exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range
By 2027-28: US$ 26.4 mn

Likely range US$ 19 mn to US$ 36.8 mn.

Trend
-0.5% a year
Fit (R²)
0 — weak, read with care
Based on
6 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1BangladeshUS$ 19.4 mn+48.8%
2NepalUS$ 6.2 mn+46.2%
3United Arab EmiratesUS$ 2.4 mn+10.5%
4MaldivesUS$ 2.3 mn-3.8%
5BhutanUS$ 1.5 mn-11.6%
6OmanUS$ 1.1 mn+177.5%
7QatarUS$ 750k+212.5%
8BahrainUS$ 30k-40%
9SingaporeUS$ 10k0%
10United States of AmericaUS$ 10k—
11MalaysiaUS$ 0-100%

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. OmanUS$ 400k → US$ 1.1 mn+177.5%
  2. BangladeshUS$ 13.1 mn → US$ 19.4 mn+48.8%
  3. NepalUS$ 4.2 mn → US$ 6.2 mn+46.2%
  4. United Arab EmiratesUS$ 2.2 mn → US$ 2.4 mn+10.5%

Low demand

  1. BhutanUS$ 1.6 mn → US$ 1.5 mn-11.6%

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Vegetables, tomatoes, fresh or chilled — tomatoes fresh or chilled0702 00 00US$ 33.7 mn+39.3%1,18,923 tonnesUS$ 0.28 per kgwas US$ 0.29

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports
US$ 11.3 bn
2023
India among exporters
#27
of 125 countries
India’s share of world exports
0.2%
US$ 25.6 mn
Left for others to win
US$ 11.7 bn
exported by other countries

Top exporters — your competitors

  1. 1MexicoUS$ 2.99 bn 25.5%
  2. 2NetherlandsUS$ 1.92 bn 16.4%
  3. 3SpainUS$ 1.18 bn 10.1%
  4. 4MoroccoUS$ 1.14 bn 9.7%
  5. 5FranceUS$ 738 mn 6.3%
  6. 6TürkiyeUS$ 536 mn 4.6%
  7. 7CanadaUS$ 519 mn 4.4%
  8. 8BelgiumUS$ 336 mn 2.9%
  9. 9IranUS$ 331 mn 2.8%
  10. 10USAUS$ 321 mn 2.7%

Biggest buyers in the world

  1. 1USAUS$ 3.28 bn 29%
  2. 2GermanyUS$ 1.88 bn 16.6%
  3. 3FranceUS$ 1.15 bn 10.2%
  4. 4United KingdomUS$ 743 mn 6.6%
  5. 5PolandUS$ 473 mn 4.2%
  6. 6NetherlandsUS$ 429 mn 3.8%
  7. 7CanadaUS$ 336 mn 3%
  8. 8SpainUS$ 235 mn 2.1%
  9. 9ItalyUS$ 195 mn 1.7%
  10. 10SwedenUS$ 179 mn 1.6%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

United States of AmericaUS$ 3.76 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 3.76 bn
GermanyUS$ 1.74 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.74 bn
FranceUS$ 1.14 bnIndia 0% · gap US$ 1.14 bn
United KingdomUS$ 743 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 743 mn
CanadaUS$ 432 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 432 mn
NetherlandsUS$ 417 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 417 mn
SpainUS$ 233 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 233 mn
ItalyUS$ 209 mnIndia 0% · gap US$ 209 mn
Saudi ArabiaUS$ 56.6 mnIndia 0.1% · gap US$ 56.6 mn
United Arab EmiratesUS$ 53.1 mnIndia 8.2% · gap US$ 48.7 mn

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of India’s largest vegetable crops, but almost all are eaten at home and the fruit travels poorly. Exports go mainly to Bangladesh and Nepal by road, with small reefer lots to the Gulf. Competitors in the Gulf are Jordan, Turkey, Iran and local greenhouse production. The realistic opening is steady supply to neighbouring wholesalers and mixed-vegetable reefers to Gulf importers.

  1. 01Register

    Get your IEC and APEDA RCMC (or ship under ₹3 lakh FOB without it).

  2. 02Pick at the right stage

    Agree the colour stage with the buyer and harvest early morning; move to a packhouse the same day.

  3. 03Sort, pack and pre-cool

    Grade by size and colour, pack in ventilated crates or cartons and pre-cool before loading.

  4. 04Inspection and phytosanitary certificate

    Apply on PQMS; Plant Quarantine inspects the lot (and fumigation or treatment if the importing country requires it) before issuing the certificate.

  5. 05Agree specification, price and payment

    Put grade, tests, packing, Incoterm (FOB or CIF), shipment period and payment (advance, LC or documents against payment) in a written contract. Cover the buyer with ECGC if you give credit.

  6. 06File the shipping bill and ship

    Your customs broker files the shipping bill on ICEGATE with the invoice and packing list. After customs clearance the line issues the bill of lading; get the certificate of origin from the right agency if the buyer needs a trade-agreement rate.

  7. 07Get paid and close the file

    Send original documents through your bank (or to the buyer if paid in advance). When the money arrives, get the e-BRC and claim RoDTEP and drawback where they apply.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting tomatoes

Where do Indian tomatoes sell?
Mainly Bangladesh and Nepal, then the UAE, Bhutan, Oman and Qatar (TradeStat, 2025-26).
Can I send tomatoes to Europe?
Transit time and EU residue limits make it hard; focus on nearby markets first.
How do I handle land-port delays?
File documents in advance, use a customs broker at that land port, and pack firm fruit at an earlier colour stage.
Do I need an RCMC for a small trial shipment?
Not for a consignment up to ₹3 lakh FOB since 15 Sep 2026 (DGFT Notification 36/2026-27). Registrations that a law requires, such as the Spices Board CRES or Tobacco Board registration, still apply.
What RoDTEP do tomatoes get?
3.9% of FOB, capped at ₹1.1 per kg (Appendix 4R).
Sources (5)
  1. APEDA — Other fresh vegetables profile (varieties, states, 2025-26 destinations)
  2. Department of Commerce — TradeStat, India’s exports by commodity and country (2025-26)
  3. DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10 Oct 2024 (Notification No. 32, 30 Sep 2024)
  4. APEDA — International Pesticide MRL Database
  5. EU — Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429, marketing standards for fruit and vegetables

Who buys Indian tomatoes

All countries →

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