CANAPEP, 15 years of promoting pineapple production in Costa Rica

The National Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Pineapples (CANAPEP) of Costa Rica is celebrating its 15th anniversary since it was founded in 2003 with the aim of promoting producers, industrializers, and exporters of this fruit to work in compliance with environmental standards, the country's labor and social issues, and the standards required by international organizations. 

On this anniversary, this private and non-profit organization has ratified that it wants its members to maintain high quality standards to reaffirm Costa Rica's position as "the best supplier of fresh pineapple in the world market, thanks to its differentiated quality and use of the most modern production practices."

Currently there are 44,500 hectares of land dedicated to the cultivation of pineapple, an activity that generates more than 32,000 direct jobs, 130 indirect jobs and more than 1 billion dollars in exports, which account for 2% of the GDP.

According to recent studies carried out by INCAE and FAO, Costa Rica has been the world's main producer and exporter of fresh pineapple for more than two decades, surpassing other important competitors, such as Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. This leadership position has been achieved thanks to the combination of ideal agro-ecological conditions, good research in biotechnology, and a great sophistication in the various links of the production chain, from production to marketing and logistics. 

Recently, CANAPEP prepared the Technical Manual for the Sustainable Production of Pineapple (MT-PSP), which will be effective as of 2018, with the goal of achieving the accreditation of the Costa Rican Accreditation Entity to demonstrate its technical competence when offering inspection services, which are based on its quality policy, and carried out objectively, without discrimination, within the established deadlines, demonstrating technical competence in their execution, and seeking continuous improvement to verify compliance with environmental and social commitments.

• In 1986, Costa Rica made its first exports of fresh pineapples. At first the country exported the Cayenna variety. Later on, it exported the Champaca variety, and, in 2001, it started exporting the MD2 variety, or Golden variety, as it's known worldwide.

• By the end of the 1990s, Costa Rica had already increased its pineapple exports to its two main markets, the United States and Europe. The success achieved in the United States and Europe was so great that producers of all types of crops converted their farms to the pineapple sector. 

• In 2006, the CANAPEP Board of Directors created the Pineapple's Socio-Environmental Commission (COSAP), a body that strengthens, regulates and provides support to the affiliated pineapple producing companies. 

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