Costa Rican Pineapple
Volume Climbs Even
Higher
By Tom Karst
European and North American consumers have contributed greatly to the gold
pineapple’s popularity,
leading to a rapid
expansion in acreage in
Costa Rica, a major
supplier of the MD2
variety.
Now growers and
marketers are working to
make sure the explosive
growth in pineapple
production doesn’t
strain Costa’s Rica’s
pristine environment.
Costa Rica’s
Environmental Tribunal
raised an alarm this
year that pineapple
acreage — estimated at
more 100,00 acres in
2007 compared with
30,000 acres in 2000 —
could tax the country’s
biodiversity and create
pesticide residue in
streams and rivers.
However, Costa Rica
pineapple and
agriculture industry
sources say that
producers are
aggressively
implementing sustainable
agricultural practices
to reduce erosion and
continue reducing the
carbon footprint of
pineapple production.
Marty Ordman, marketing
director for Dole Food
Co. Inc., Westlake
Village, Calif., said
the company implemented
carbon-neutral banana
and pineapple programs
in Costa Rica last
season.
Abel Chaves of Agromonte
SA, Pital de San Carlos,
Costa Rica, and
president of the
National Pineapple
Producer and Exporters
Chamber, said of his
company 4,940 acres 741
acres are used as
environmental buffers.
Chaves said members of
the exporters’ group
have signed on to 11
principles of social
responsibility.
Manuel Sanchez,
Agromonte general
manager, said the
company works with the
Rainforest Alliance on
environmental
safeguards.
The expansion of
pineapple production in
Costa Rica has attracted
some opportunistic
players, said Dennis
Christou, vice president
of marketing in North
America for Del Monte
Fresh Produce Co. NA,
Coral Gables, Fla.
“In particular, some new
players might have
chosen a quick financial
return at the expense of
the environment and
local communities,”
Christou said in an
e-mail Nov. 20.
Christou said Del
Monte’s Costa Rica
operations were the
first to be certified by
independent third-party
auditors for the ISO
4000 environmental
standard.
Since 1998, he said Del
Monte has participated
on a voluntary basis in
several national
environmental programs,
including Bandera
Ecologica, a Costa Rican
environmental compliance
program sponsored and
monitored by the
Ministry of the
Environment.
Eric Mora, researcher at
the San Jose-based
University of Costa Rica
in San Jose, said
conservationists are
troubled by the fact
pineapple needs to be
managed with no natural
ground cover. He said
that use of herbicides
on the crop has also
raised concerns.
With the rising
awareness of
environmental issues,
Mora said growers are
becoming stricter with
production practices,
and organic acreage is
growing.
“Organic pineapple is in
a good position,” said
Roger Vargas, controller
for Proagroin, marketer
of Costa Rica organic
pineapples.
He said 35% to 40% of
the company’s acreage is
organic but there are
plans to convert it all
to organic within
several years. The firm
markets seven to 10
containers of organic
pineapples a week, and
about 60 of the
company’s 100 growers
are producing organic
pineapples.
Pineapple boom
Fueled by the popularity
of the MD2 variety —
developed by Coral
Gables, Fla.,-based
Fresh Del Monte Co. Inc.
and now widely produced
throughout the industry
— U.S. per capita
consumption of fresh
pineapple has increased
from 3 pounds in 1999 to
5 pounds a person in
2007.
The MD2 variety was
developed in Hawaii by
Del Monte, and the
variety was first
planted in Costa Rica
during the late 1980s by
Del Monte. Now available
to all growers, it
dominates exports from
Costa Rica.
According to the U.S.
Department of
Agriculture, Costa
Rica’s fresh pineapple
exports to the U.S.
increased from $80
million in 2004 to $372
million in 2007.
The U.S. accounted for
52% of Costa Rica’s1.8
million metric tons of
pineapple exports in
2005, according to the
United Nations Food and
Agriculture
Organization.
Most pineapple industry
leaders say that growth
is expected to continue.
European demand for
Costa Rica fruit has
been growing rapidly,
and current stats show
the European market
takes about 55% of Costa
Rican pineapples
compared with 45% for
the U.S., Chaves said.
Chaves said acreage
appears to be up 15% to
20% this year, and
another 10% to 15%
increase is possible
next year.
While the industry may
consolidate, he expects
production to continue
to trend upward for the
foreseeable future.
Chaves said pineapple
acreage has nearly
doubled in less than
five years, to 111,000
acres of pineapple.
However, Roberto Obando,
director of an
association of
agricultural agronomists
in Costa Rica, said
there are reasons to
suspect pineapple
acreage growth will
taper off in coming
years.
Slower economic growth
in the U.S., a renewed
emphasis in Costa Rica
agricultural policy on
production of corn and
beans and environmental
pressures and possible
new regulations on
pineapple growers are
factors that could slow
acreage growth, he said.
Christou said the lack
of expertise and
financial backing for
some new growers,
combined with the credit
crunch and economic
slowdown, would likely
accelerate their exit
from the business.
Despite the economic
challenges, Christou
said Del Monte — the
largest pineapple
producer and exporter in
Costa Rica — is
well-positioned for
future growth in demand
for the Del Monte Gold
variety, and he said Del
Monte is also producing
organic pineapples in
Costa Rica.
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