Kumamoto Shio Tomato

"Kumamoto Shio Tomato" is cultivated on drained land, rich in salt, along the coast of the Yatsushiro Sea ⁽¹⁾. As salt stress restricts the growth of the tomato, it is characteristically small but rich in sugar (at least 8%) and has thick and firm skin.
　"Kumamoto Shio Tomato" accounts for less than 2% of the entire large tomato production in the production area. Due to the high scarcity, it is sold at a unit price threefold higher compared to common large tomato and used for gift, etc.

"Kumamoto Shio Tomato" is cultivated in fields of high salt content soil on reclaimed land in Yatsushiro City, Uki City and Hikawa Town, Yatsushiro District, Kumamoto Prefecture, along the coast of the Yatsushiro Sea.
　Large tomato cultivars are used and grown protected (in greenhouse). Seedlings are planted from August to October, and fruits are harvested by the next June.
　Shipping standards include sugar content of 8% or higher, fruit weight of 30 to 150g and free of insect and pest damage. Those with 8% or higher sugar content but with slight insect or pest damage can be used as processing material regardless of fruit weight.

There are fields with high salt content scattered in the production area, including where they were once used as salt farms and receive salt containing groundwater.
　Tomato production in the area started around 1965 to 1970, but the small Kumamoto Shio Tomato was consumed only in and near the area or discarded because it did not reach the standard size.
　Starting from around 1991, producers, wholesalers and other related parties have tackled to commercialize the tomato such as by planning and implementing sales strategies and testing sugar content. The tomato started to gather attention for being very tasty, rare and produced only in limited places in the production area. As a top-quality tomato different from ordinary ones, Kumamoto Shio Tomato is sold at a high unit price.
　Shipment in 2018 was approximately 65t in Yatsushiro and 39t in Uki.

1. Yatsushiro Sea: An inland sea off the west coast of Kyushu, the third largest island of Japan's five main islands, extending over Kumamoto Prefecture and Kagoshima Prefecture, and connecting to the Ariake Sea to the north and the East China Sea to the south. With the inlet having deeply indented coastline, or rias, Yatsushiro Sea is said to be the most closed inland sea in Japan.