China: Hopes that new festival will promote pineapple sales

Pineapples from Southern China have gone through a rough period. Prices have recently dropped to as little as 0.24 Yuan per kilogram, which is the lowest it has been in the last twenty years.

Despite these low prices, 6,700 hectares of harvested pineapples have still not been sold. Faced by this challenge, the government of Xuwen county, has organised the first pineapple festival. The festival was organised on the the 28th of April by the local Chamber of Commerce in the hope it could serve as a trade platform to propel sales.

Xuwen County is known in China for its pineapples production. The main variety that is produced is the Bali pineapples. The Bali pineapple has been introduced ot China in 1926. It is considered a specialty crop and was air freighted to Beijing to serve to foreign guests in the 70s.

In 2012, pineapples production in Xuwen was only 14,000 hectares. Since then it has expanded to a total of 20,000 hectares. Annual yield reaches half a million tons, which makes it the largest producing county in China.

This year's pineapple crop has been hit by cold Spring weather. The weather has affected both yield and quality. Pineapples from Taiwan and Hainan entered the Chinese market in April, increasing supply and competition. As a result, prices dropped from 2.8 Yuan per kilogram to a mere 0.24 Yuan.