Costa Rica: Pineapple oversupply expected in July

"It has been really cold! Pineapples are a warm weather crop, but with the imbalances caused by global warming, temperatures have remained around 19 °C, which for us is amazing," explains Joselyn Villalobos Salas, of the company VISA FRUITS AND TUBERS of Costa Rica.

Joselyn Villalobos Salas, VISA FRUITS AND TUBERS, of Costa Rica.

VISA has more than 700 hectares for pineapple production. According to Joselyn, heavy rains have slowed down the harvesting process, since the roads leading to the plantations are muddy, making transport more difficult, and cold temperatures are also causing the fruit to need more time to reach the necessary sweetness.

Joselyn pineapples, VISA's sweet premium variety

"The fruit which is not as sweet can be shipped to markets like Russia, where they prefer greener pineapples, or be used for juice production, but it cannot be exported to the European market, which is very demanding when it comes to Brix, and we won't risk damaging our reputation by shipping fruit that is other than excellent," affirms Joselyn.

VISA-labelled pineapples

Due to the current situation, VISA shipments to Europe have been reduced by 20% in recent weeks. And this applies basically to all producers in the country, which has resulted in pineapple shortages in the European market and a significant rise in prices.

"Bad weather has also caused the plants to be stressed, and thus production is starting between two and four months earlier," explains Joselyn, who predicts a pineapple oversupply in July which will take a significant toll on prices.

More information:
Joselyn Villalobos Salas
VISA
Tel.: 2473-3112 ext. 115
jvillalobos@visasa.com
www.visasa.com