The pineapple market is dealing with a considerably diminished supply. “The fact is we've had a lot of problems in recent months. In December, Costa Rica was still very wet, in January and February it was extremely dry, and last week there was such a strong wind that boats couldn’t moor. The delays, as a result of newly constructed buildings in Limon and the increase in the number of Customs scans in Rotterdam, are partially the cause of a scarcity of supply in the European market,” says Edwin Fillekes, responsible for sales of pineapples within HillFresh.
“The wet weather at the beginning of last year also still affects the pineapple export, because each pineapple plants bears one fruit each year. On top of that, we had a drought, which is why many pineapples did not reach the desired brix levels, and are therefore not suitable for export,” the importer continues. “During the past two weeks, the situation changed slightly because of rain and colder nights, but this will only result in larger numbers on the market after Easter. The pineapple market will still be scarce in April, and more product will only arrive on the market in May and June.”
“This ensures good pineapple prices throughout the year, but especially during the final weeks. Currently, market prices are at a very high level. We get calls from a number of interested buyers now, but sometimes we are just happy to have been able to serve our permanent customers,” Edwin says. He doesn’t think Costa Rica will get more competition as a pineapple supplier. “Of course, there’s also supply from Colombia and Panama, but Costa Rica is still good for 60-70 per cent of total supply, and the other production countries cannot yet match that.”
“Fortunately, our permanent supplier Tropicales del Valle in Costa Rica has up till now always managed to send a continuous volume our way. Just as with mangoes, there’s more and more demand for flown-in pineapples, and the fast transport adds value to the quality of the product. Tropicales del Valle offers pineapple in three flavour gradations, with the Super Sweet pineapple as the highest quality with a brix level of 17. This focus on flavour is very much appreciated by our consumers,” Edwin concludes.
