Tomato prices have surpassed 60 pesos per kilo in some Mexican self-service stores, despite PACIC commitments to keep them between 26 and 40 pesos. ANTAD president Diego Cossío Barto attributes the rise to weather factors and logistics costs. The situation highlights vulnerabilities in production, especially in Sinaloa.
Tomatoes, a staple in the Mexican diet, are selling for over 60 pesos per kilo in self-service chains like Soriana, Chedraui, and Walmart, despite PACIC agreements with the federal government. Diego Cossío Barto, executive president of the National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores (ANTAD), acknowledged this in an interview with Azucena Uresti. "There has been a close commitment to keep it as possible, even losing money or sacrificing margin," he stated.
Main causes include weather factors affecting crops in Mexico and Florida, United States, plus higher transport, fuel, toll, and insecurity costs. Cossío Barto noted that only 18.4% of national tomato sales occur in self-service stores, per INEGI, and involved chains are making efforts to stabilize prices.
In Sinaloa, the top producer, cultivated area dropped 20-30% from 2025 to 2026, with dams at 19.9-21.5% capacity by late March, versus 37% the previous year, according to Caades data cited by El Financiero's Enrique Quintana. Insecurity from groups like 'Los Chapitos' and 'La Mayiza' worsens the crisis, and states like Michoacán, Jalisco, and Baja California cannot offset the decline.
ANTAD maintains contact with the Secretariats of Finance, Agriculture, and Profeco to monitor the basic basket at 910 pesos for 24 products. Cossío Barto did not rule out a meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum.
