The tomato is original from America; the Sniards introduced it in Europe after the discovery of America. At first, it was introduced as an ornamental species, because of the fruit. Its use as an agricultural plant was relatively recent, around 1,800. In the XIXth century its culture spread, but it was not until 1,900 that it became an important culture.

The main producing countries are China, the United States, Turkey, Egypt and Italy.

The world production is as follows:

Continent	Thousandtons	%
Africa	11,449	12
Asia	41,488	45
Europe	22,009	23
North America	13,646	14
Oceania	413	-
South America	6,120	6
Total	92,125	100

Source: Fresh Produce Desk Book (1999)

The 10 main producing countries are:

Country	Thousand tons
China	16,387
The United States	10,762
Turkey	6,600
Egypt	5,980
Italy	5,369
India	5,300
Spain	3,554
Brazil	2,692
Iran	2,700
Greece	2,085

Source: FAO Production Yearbook, 1998

The 10 main export countries are:

Country	Thousand $
Mexico	888,317
Spain	844,128
The Netherlands	558,488
Morocco	188,653
Belgium - Luxembourg	167,957
The United States	158,955
Italy	121,183
Syria	108,201
France	86,741
Canada	62,441

Source: FAO Trade Yearbook, 1998.