Pineapple monthly review: February 2021

During the first half-month, demand was mainly regular, sustained by the promotions organised in the context of the Chinese New Year. Shipping delays at times generated a slight market tension, forcing operators to prioritise their contractual commitments. The situation was more complicated in the second half-month, when we observed a distinct slowdown in demand, marked by slower sales. We also saw a proliferation of quality problems (due to shipping delays). So the market was split in two, with on the one hand programmed sales which were conducted at mostly stable rates, and spot sales which obtained distinctly worse prices, sometimes at clearance rates.

The winter holidays, which were staggered by region over the month, affected demand on the air-freight market, forcing several operators to heavily scale back their imports from the beginning of the month, to bring them more into line with demand. It has to be said that fruit quality (drab and dry crowns) was particularly affected by the drought in Benin and Cameroon, slightly further reducing availability of Cayenne in particular. Sugarloaf sales were also less fluid, especially of supposedly coloured fruit, which was very often fairly drab. The DGCCRF intercepted several boxes of coloured fruit from Ghana for exceeding the ethephon MRL, raising fears of higher pressure on exports from the origin. Sweet sales remained fairly fluid, with an ever more marked interest in Latin American fruit.

The Victoria supply in February remained very limited, especially from Reunion. As an alternative to the fruit from Reunion, in short supply, Mauritian fruit, enjoying slightly better availability, was able to earn better value.

pineapple - france - import prices - february 2021