Pineapple monthly review: May 2020

The market conditions were fairly good in May, against all expectations. At the beginning of the month, the operators were informed that natural flowering in Costa Rica had started. However, although the Sweet supply rose over the first three weeks, it remained fairly limited overall, and was fairly easily absorbed, thanks in particular to the supermarket sector, which maintained its promotions. It is true that the seasonal fruits supply was late, and that the small quantities of fruit available were fairly expensive. During the last week of the month, the market saw a trend reversal. The seasonal fruits supply, on the increase, captured demand more easily, especially since the supermarket sector suspended its pineapple promotions, switching them to the more abundant seasonal fruits. Nonetheless, rates remained fairly high and steady throughout the month, before starting to fall at the end of the month.

The air-freight pineapple market was rather fluid. In the absence of regular flights, the overall supply was very small throughout the month, especially for Cayenne, with Cameroonian fruit of fairly heterogeneous quality. A near-absence of fruit from Benin was observed, the quality of which prevented them from being sold at a sufficient level to absorb the high cargo freight costs. Sales were fluid on the Sugarloaf market, which was largely under-supplied. The steeply falling Latin American Sweet supply, sold at very high prices. The paucity of the overall Sweet supply enabled Ghanaian fruit to earn better value. At the end of the month, the increase in the seasonal fruits supply started to capture demand a bit more, and pineapple sales, across all varieties, were much less fluid.

The Victoria supply was very small in May, which helped the fruit available to sell at fairly high prices, though they were of heterogeneous quality.

pineapple - france - import prices may 2020