Pineapple Harvesting and Operation Management
As they grow, pineapples convert starches in the plant’s base into sugars and they ripen from the bottom up as these natural sugars rise vertically throughout the fruit’s maturation process. Therefore, a consistent shell color in a pineapple indicates that it has matured completely and sugar can be found throughout the fruit. Furthermore, fully ripe pineapples smell fresh and fragrant at the end of the stem. Nevertheless, growing and harvesting pineapples is a labor-intensive process as pineapples can take anywhere between 12 and 14 months to grow and mature completely. Likewise, most of the work is done manually, from planting the seeds to weeding the fields and ultimately collecting the pineapple harvest. Meanwhile, the plant nutrition process can be done via tractor with spray boom applications. Overall, the pineapple export supply chain consists of several main steps or phases: land preparation, planting, field maintenance, harvesting or collecting, and packaging for sale.
The first step in pineapple production is preparing the land for the planting of the seeds or the transplanting of the small pineapple plants. This first step requires the design and layout of the corridors for machinery and workers, the installment of drainage ditches, and setup of the planting parcels. Throughout this planning and layout process, technological instruments such as drone imaging and GPS information serve as inputs. Similarly, the operations manager and the field workers go on terrain walkthroughs to ensure an optimal use of productive land as well as a proper use of materials such as mulch, subsoil ploughs, and other bedding forming tools. For instance, the appropriate use of mulch as organic material that goes into the ground, coupled with rest periods, rotations, and agroforestry practices maximize the soil quality and output.
After planting, large sprouts are cut and removed from the seedling area, while the growing plants are shaved with a machete in order to allow for a greater illumination of the buds. Likewise, a fertilization program is implemented throughout the terrain, which aids in growth and production. Each pineapple plant can generate between five and six seeds during this phase, during a period that can take between five and seven months. Lastly, after harvesting the pineapples, the undesirable or unproductive plants that have been identified are removed.
Pineapple Harvesting and Operation Management
The promising prospects of the pineapple industry are why Farmfolio’s CEO J. Dax Cooke has chosen to collaborate with Verba Odrec, SA in Panama. Verba Odrec, SA manually harvests high-quality pineapples, which are then loaded onto a boom conveyor in the field and placed into specialized bins for export. The unique operation managed by Verba Odrec, SA produces world-class pineapples year round at their farm in la Chorrera, Panama. Furthermore, this experienced company partners with international institutions in order to ensure the maintenance of environmentally friendly processes as well as a fair labor approach. Verba Odrec, SA is focused on sustaining holistic connections between the land, the environment, its products, and people. Similarly, the company holds a GRASP certification, which ensures its corporate social responsibility standards, as well as a Global Gap Certification for international export. Lastly, Verba Odrec, SA is about to acquire a Rainforest Alliance certification, which stands for both corporate environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
(Read more about Global Markets of Fresh and Dried Pineapple)