Obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. Sign in to the product or service center of your choice.
Article: Costa Rican pineapple juice exports slump to low level
19 May 2020
This article is from our IEG Vu platform dated
14/05/20.
Costa Rica exported 8,700 tonnes of NFC pineapple juice and
1,600 tonnes of pineapple juice concentrate in February 2020, down
from 10,200 tonne and 2,050 tonnes, respectively, in January.
In monthly terms these were the lowest figures recorded since
December 2018, when the exported tonnage in each category was 7,505
tonnes and 1,460 tonnes.
While demand for pineapple juice generally has been extremely
weak for the last few years, especially in Europe, and has only
started to show sings of recovery with the spread of the
coronavirus pandemic, these are disquieting figures.
The recent high prices of pineapple juice have also been a bar
to sales, with buyers fearing that they will damage what demand
there is.
Another issue is demand for Costa Rican fresh pineapple. Barring
a dip below 1.5 million tonnes in 2017, exports have been
reasonably steady since 2012 at between 1.8-2.1 mln tonnes. The
country's pineapple production, meanwhile, has been steadily rising
and for the last couple of years has been well over 3.0 mln
tonnes.
The fresh market is much more appealing for the growers as the
returns are better. Demand has remained reasonably firm for fresh
fruit, with exports moving in a band between about 1.75-2.1 mln
tonnes for the last eight years, or roughly double what Costa Rica
was exporting in the early 2000s.
Costa Rica's growing area has also expanded greatly in the last
20 years and now stands at around 45,000 hectares, although this is
likely to decline in the future as the government imposes ever
stricter environmental constraints on the industry.