The pineapple market is doing well at the moment. "Much better than in February when supply was rather large" an importer tells enthusiastically. "This is the result of a number of factors. The most important cause is the fact, that at the moment a lot of melons are going to Europe and therefore there is less space for pineapples
on the vessels. Supply is therefore somewhat less at the moment." The pineapples mainly come from Costa Rica.
"In addition the weather is good, the sun is shining and it will soon be Easter again. All these aspects have a positive influence on a better demand and good prices."
He mentions that the first ten weeks of this year were really difficult. "As a result every body bought less and now supply is less. As a result we now have better prices round eight euro. For the larger sizes we receive about 8,25 euro and for the smaller ones 7 euro."
What does the trader expect of the coming weeks? "I think that the good prices will last for a little while. After Easter there is of course the danger that the market will turn. Next week's shipment will still be sold well, but after that most consumers are off work for a number of days and less will be consumed. This will probably cause a too big supply and of course pineapple cannot be kept as stock for a long period. It must be sold."