The Secretary of Commerce says the shortage of tomatoes in the markets is due to climate change
Sameer Abed explains to parliament that rising temperatures have damaged crop flowers and caused production to decline, stressing the continued distribution of available quantities.
Minister of Commerce and Export Development Samir Abed said the shortage of tomatoes in local markets led to a sharp drop in production due to factors and climate change. The Minister's statements came on Thursday, November 5, 2026, during a joint parliamentary hearing convened by the Industry and Trade Committee with the Assembly of the Representatives of the People and the Production Sectors Committee of the National Council of Governments and Regions to discuss the mission of the Ministry within the draft state budget for 2027.
The minister explained to the deputies that the temperature rise recorded during previous periods had a direct and negative impact on the flowers of the plantations, which led to a productivity gap in the country reflected in the volume of daily supply.
Abed pointed out that the interests of the ministry are currently working to intensify field follow-up of available quantity allocations, in an effort to reduce the recorded shortage and control the supply coordination.
The domestic market has been experiencing a remarkable shortage of tomatoes for weeks, accompanied by a rise in prices of greens, a situation that was mirrored by the supervisory teams on the ground during inspection rounds involving wholesale markets last October.
The Ministry is aiming to strengthen the control of distribution channels and interventions to regulate the flow of products in coordination with relevant authorities with a view to bridging the production gap and restoring the normal balance of markets in the future.
