Greenhouse growers are now producing 50 kilos of tomatoes for every square metre under glass, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday. That is a rise of some 20% over 25 years, the CBS said.

In total, tomato production is up 75% on 1980, while 177% more strawberries and 138% more courgettes are grown in greenhouses.

In 1980, vegetable growers had an average of 0.6 hectares under glass but by 2017 this had soared to five hectares, as the industry consolidated, the CBS said.

There are now some 1,260 companies growing fruit and veg under glass, down from nearly 8,000 in 1980. Today, the 10 biggest growers farm almost 10% of the total 5,000 hectares of vegetables grown in greenhouses.