China: Slight recovery weak pineapple market

In Xuwen County, the main pineapple production area in China, the pineapple price had fallen to the lowest point in nearly 20 years. Recently, the prices had slightly improved, but local grower are still facing substantial losses.

Currently Xuwen County accounts for a total of 18,000 hectares of pineapple growing area. Total production output reached 500,000 tons, which makes it the largest pineapple producer in terms of pineapple yields in China. This year's harvest is expected to consist of 10,700 hectares.

The price drop has mainly been caused by excessive rain and cold waves, which has shortened harvesting time and lead to large supplies of pineapples entering the market in a shorter period of time than normal. This spring has seen a number of cold spells in Xuwen County. As a result, part of the crop has been damaged with lower sugar levels and lesser quality as a result. At one point, market conditions were so poor that wholesalers and traders were hesitant to place new orders.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News (Guangzhou)