Unusually heavy rainfall during November and December are keeping a lid on Costa Rican pineapple volumes in the new year marketing period, according to European importers.
“Weather conditions in Central America have been less than optimal during the last quarter of 2010 and a lot less volume has reached the European market,” Jan Klingeman, pineapple product manager at The Greenery/Hagé International, told Fruitnet.com.
“But we’re already seeing an improvement in quality thanks to the drier weather and we believe that, combined with the traditional fall in supply that occurs at the end of January, price levels should start to increase as a result.”
Despite the expected recovery, prices may start to dip again as Costa Rican shipments reach their peak in a couple of months’ time, buoyed by anticipated rising demand in Europe.
“From mid-March onwards we expect that production volumes will increase and that will impact on prices,” explained Miguel González, CEO of Hispafruit. “Hopefully though, the arrival of spring and the milder weather in Europe will influence our sales positively.”
Costa Rican mainly exports pineapples to North America and Europe, where demand in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain is said to be booming.
A full report on the pineapple market will be published in the February 2011 issue of Eurofruit Magazine.
