Pineapples and Panama’s Agricultural Exports
In the United States, fresh and frozen pineapples account for the largest share of the country’s total pineapple imports, representing approximately 40% of the total. Meanwhile, pineapple juice and canned pineapples make up almost equal shares with around 30% each. However, pineapples have their largest sales market in European countries, which account for about half of the global import market. In recent years, the average price for a case of pineapples in the international markets has been between US$5.00 and US$6.50, regardless of the fruit’s size, given that each country has its specific market preferences. For instance, European consumers prefer smaller pineapples of the MD2 variety. Furthermore, in recent years, the import of fresh pineapples into the European market has stabilized at about 900,000 tons annually. Within Europe, the main markets for fresh pineapples are Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain, amongst others. Likewise, these western markets are primarily served by a handful of multinational companies, namely the Dole Food Company, Del Monte Foods, Fyffes, and Chiquita.
Pineapples and Panama’s Agricultural Exports
During 2016, the global sales from pineapples exports exceeded US$2 billion, which represents a value appreciation of over 15% when compared to 2015. Similarly, Central and South America are the largest pineapple producing regions representing over half of the world’s total exports. Meanwhile, European exporters represent some 24% of global exports. Another 15% of worldwide pineapple exports originate from Asia and the rest come from North America and Africa. Overall, Costa Rica has the highest surplus in the international trade of pineapples, which generates a positive cash flow for the country and confirms its national competitive advantage for this specific fruit product category. In the case of Panama, its border region with Costa Rica, climate advantages, and its own national pineapple production expand the region’s productive and export capacity within this specific agricultural market.
Panama’s pineapple exports in January 2017 amounted to US$1.126 million, which is a very positive number in the official statistics of the Comptroller General of the Republic, representing the only fruit that recorded an increase when compared to national exports during the same period of 2016. Even though the income and export volume of Panamanian agricultural goods has stagnated in recent years, pineapples, which are mainly produced in the La Chorrera area, continue to lead Panamanian fruit exports, followed by bananas, watermelon, and cantaloupe.
According to the president of the Panama’s Union of Exporters of non-traditional agricultural items (Gantrap), Ana Cheng de Rios, the export data among fruits varies because pineapples are produced year-round, while products such as melons and watermelons are only produced in the first four months of the year. She added that the area devoted to the production of melons and watermelons has decreased as the number of companies engaged in exporting these fruits has also decreased, which has affected the total amount of Panamanian fruit on a yearly basis. Cheng de Rios also stated that the pineapple industry continues to be one of the most promising fruit sectors as Middle Eastern markets are starting to export Panamanian pineapples by airplane.