During 2013, exports grew by 7% and the main destinations are still the U.S. and Europe.
During 2013 pineapple production increased by 7% compared to 2012, generating sales of $834 million. Fruit exports went from 2% of total goods exported in 2000 to 7.3% last year, according to the Foreign Trade Promotion Office(Procomer).
According to the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters (Canapep), the USA is the main destination for Costa Rican fruit, where 50% of exports are shipped."The second biggest buyer is the EU zone where 47% is sold, followed by other countries such as Chile and some Caribbean islands. In addition, other markets are opening up in the Middle East. "
The Costa Rican pineapple sector wants to consolidate the presence it has gained in major international markets.
It is negotiating with the Foreign Trade Promotion Office the terms needed to create a brand for the country in the next few months, which they hope will help maintain the explosive volume that has been exported.
"In just a decade, exports increased from $158 million in 2002, to reach a peak of $789 million in 2012, an increase of 400% making this fruit the number agricultural shipment above bananas and coffee," reported Elfinancierocr.com.
A provisional ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica has overturned a city ordinance banning the cultivation of pineapple, which aimed to prevent the activity's environmental impact.
Nacion.com reports that "The Fourth Chamber has ruled in favor of an appeal filed by the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters (Canapep) against the decision of the Municipality of Pococí declaring a moratorium on the planting of this fruit in the territory of this canton. The ruling overturned the municipal agreement, taken on March 12, 2012, thereby reopening pineapple cultivation in Guápiles and its surrounding areas "
Environmental Regulations and Social Practice have been issued by the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters of Costa Rica.
The Social and Environmental Management System for Sustainable Production of Pineapple (SG-PSP) is the standard of good environmental and social practices, to carry out the Environmental Responsibility Commitment, established by Canapep on June 5, 2008.
Costa Rica's success as a producer of the MD2 pineapple variety, is attempting to be copied by countries like Panama, Colombia and Ghana.
Costa Rica is the world's leading supplier of pineapple, a position it achieved in particular because of the quality and sweetness of the MD2 variety, characteristic due not only to technological equipment employed and processes that have been internationally certified, but also because of the special conditions of the soil and climate.
Due to continued growth, the country remains the largest exporter of fresh pineapples.
According to the National Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Pineapples (Canapep), revenues from foreign sales totaled $743 million. Juice concentrates were valued at $82 million.
The country has been the world's largest exporter of pineapples since 2007.
"Currently, Costa Rica has 45,000 acres devoted to pineapple production, mostly located in the north and Caribbean side of the country, according to data from Canapep.
In Costa Rica, October’s excessive rain has caused losses of $2.5 million in the sector.
Abel Chaves, president of the Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters (Canapep in Spanish) explained that the losses include damage to plantations, delays in the preparation of crop areas, damage to farm infrastructure (bridges, canals and roads) and increases in transportation costs to ports of embarkation.
Pineapple and banana farmers can take advantage of the increased demand coming from these countries.
Being the leading exporter of pineapples in the world has not limited fruit growers in Costa Rica, who are trying to improve cultivation and their commitment to the environment in order to increase production and meet the growing demand from countries like China and India.
An agreement has been signed with the Environmental Tribunal to train 1300 farmers.
Throughout the year the fruit producers will participate in seminars where they will be taught about best production and environmentally friendly practices.
They will receive instruction on technical methods of land use, and function and location of treatment plants, among other things.
Traditional pineapple growing regions have become saturated by rapid crop expansion.
Costa Rica currently has 40,000 net hectares used for growing pineapple, located in the north and Atlantic regions of the country.
Abel Chaves, president of the Costa Rican Pineapple Growers and Exporters Association (Canapep), indicated that it is unlikely that the sector will continue to grow at the same rate it has managed until now, suggesting that production may already have reached its peak.
The sector expects to increase exports in 2010, and for this they have planted 45.000 hectares.
Canapep, the National Chamber of Pineapple Growers and Exporters, is betting on increased demand from the U.S. west coast and new markets like Turkey and Iraq.
"According to Canapep forecasts, this combination of factors, plus good sales to Europe, will make the sector grow in 2010", reported Nacion.com.
In Costa Rica, the agricultural sector absorbs workers unemployed by construction.
The construction sector in Costa Rica, which faces a significant slowdown, laid off more than 17,000 workers at the end of 2008 as a product of the crisis. However, these workers were absorbed by rice, pineapple, sugar and coffee production.
In an analysis in elfinancierocr.com, the characteristics of this migration were described, reporting that the coffee harvest, which ended in March 2009, employed about 200 thousand workers, 40 thousand of whom were from the construction industry.
Authorities are carrying out the corresponding studies in order to apply a price setting policy that is similar to the one for bananas.
To achieve this, a cost model similar to the one for banana producers, but with adjustments for pineapples, will be used.
Currently the price for pineapples is set by the market (demand and supply) and small farmers paid for their product with prices that are unilaterally set.