FruitTrop Magazine n°215
Pineapple close-up
- Publication date : 29/10/2013
- Price : Free
- Articles from this magazine
Thank you for having printed this page. To preserve the environment, the printable version of this page has been reduced to a minimum. Do not hesitate to reconsider www.fruitrop.com. The text and graphic content is the exclusive property of CIRAD. Total or partial reproduction of the contents, made from the site without permission elements is prohibited within the meaning of Article L.713-2 of the Code of intellectual property. Copyright CIRAD
What future for the Sugarloaf?
- Published on 31/10/2013 - Published by PAQUI T.
- FruiTrop n°215 , Page 52
- Free
The recent setbacks, dropping rates and lack of interest from the operators, for a fruit hitherto selling well, are striking for their duration and their impact on the product image.
Open/Close Shop
Articles from same magazine
The air-freight pineapple market remains dominated by smooth Cayenne exports, which represent more than 80 % of trade volumes. However, for some years Sugarloaf exports have been growing. The Sugarloaf pineapple is recognisable for its highly specific conical shape. Depending on the sources and production centres, the fruit has the particularity of remaining green even when mature. Highly prized by some consumers for its organoleptic qualities, it can most often be found from specialised exotic fruit dealers. Importers have managed to position the Sugarloaf in a little niche of the air-freight pineapple market, enabling them to get good value for it. Yet since late June, a clear deterioration has been seen in its market conditions.
Nearly all the sources supplying the air-freight market have tried with more or less success to export Sugarloaf. Among these we can mention Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea and Togo. With the exception of shipments from Benin, which have seen a regular rise, those from other sources have remained fairly restricted. The growth of volumes from Benin can be explained by a more consistent quality, and above all by the fact that its fruits are coloured, unlike those from Ghana, which also exports regularly. This makes a difference on a market as selective as the air-freight pineapple market, where consumers expect to find fruits that are coloured and ready to eat. However, a niche market by definition remains a fairly narrow market with a limited margin for growth.
Until now, the moderate supply of Sugarloaf from Benin made for better value than with the smooth Cayenne. The steep increase in this supply at the beginning of summer 2013, when demand usually focused on small exotics was switching to seasonal fruits, caused a great deal of harm to the fruit’s image. Despite falling demand, the operators did not manage to stop the substantial shipments of Sugarloaf. So the market was flooded with fruits whose quality kept deteriorating. Hence the operators had to resort to very significant price cuts, or even selling at ASP (after-sale prices) in the hope of getting their stocks moving. The fruit, which usually sells on a basis of between 1.85 and 2.00 euro/kg, was being offered at prices as low as 1.60 or even 1.50 euro/kg.
Many consumers, disappointed by the quality of the fruits offered, abandoned the Sugarloaf, while demand was hesitantly picking up on the air-freight market. The lack of interest continued until the end of the season, as not only did the supply remain too large for demand, but the quality was no longer homogenous. Good fruit quality (no internal defects, good shelf life), their fresh appearance and the right match between supply and demand remain prerequisites for developing a niche market and maintaining a good level of revenue. We must simply hope that the operators realise this in time to save a hitherto
