For the third quarter of 2021, the value of sales in the Central American region reached $825 million, with the main buyer being the United States of America with $427 million, representing 52% of exports.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
After HBM Global Trading Corp exported the first shipment of MD2 pineapple, the fruit began to be sold in Israeli supermarkets.
Prilatinode is the brand name of the exported pineapple, which was packed in 300 gram packages and arrived in Israeli markets in a shipment of 525 boxes, being the first to be exported under the Israel-Panama Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
In order to prevent drug trafficking, as of February 8, Costa Rica's General Directorate of Customs defined that all containers carrying fresh, organic pineapple and by-products of this fruit will be scanned by the Port Operator APM Terminals Moín.
Dried and frozen pineapple, canned preserves, compotes, jellies, jams, pineapple puree or paste, juices, concentrates and pasteurized products are the sub products that will also be subject to these revisions.
Because the Asian giant is the world's largest buyer of fresh fruit and people are willing to consume new and tropical foods, the region's pineapple producers have the opportunity to increase their business with the Chinese market.
According to a study conducted by the Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer), China remains one of the largest producers of fruit in the world, but quality remains a problem, so they are interested in imported fruit, added to consumers looking for better quality products as part of the search for a healthier lifestyle.
Although several companies have been affected by the measures implemented by governments in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, Costa Rican exports of coffee, pineapple and bananas have so far not faced difficulties with logistics.
Directors of the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (Icafé) indicated that so far there have been no problems with the availability of containers and that sales abroad are proceeding normally.
The drop in international prices and the climate difficulties were the main reasons for the 5% reduction in the value exported from Costa Rica last year compared to 2018.
Data from the Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer) show that between 2018 and 2019, exports of the fruit decreased from $983 million to $930 million, which is equivalent to a negative variation of 5%.
In the first six months of 2019, Central American countries exported pineapple for $525 million, and sales to companies in the United Kingdom grew by 5% over the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
In the first three months of 2019, Central American countries exported $251 million worth of pineapple, and sales to Spanish companies increased 12% over the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
The first container of Panamanian pineapple left on October 1 to Beijing, China, and is expected that in the coming months shipments will be 12.5 containers per week.
The head of Agribusiness of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), Tomás Solís, said that the company Ananas Trading Inc. Panama will increase fruit exports from 12.5 to 25 containers per week in 2020, explains an official statement.
Last year, the main regional crop sold abroad was coffee, with $2.671 million, followed by banana, with $2.594 million, pineapple, with $1.097 million and sugar, with $722 million.
Data from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralamericaData:
The main coffee export destinations were the U.S., Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan and Canada, which together represent 70% of the volume exported by the region, equivalent to approximately $2,050 million. [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
At the beginning of 2019 there were 44,500 hectares dedicated to fruit cultivation in Costa Rica, however, because of high production costs and a drop in international prices, by 2021 the cultivated area could fall to 38,000 hectares.
Directors of the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters (Canapep) explained that the fall in the price of pineapple internationally is because of increased competition, since countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Panama, have managed to gain market share in the U.S. and Europe.
In the first nine months of 2018, Central American countries exported pineapple for $828 million, 9% more than in the same period in 2017, mainly because of sales to U.S. companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics]
Climatic and market conditions would be the reasons behind the drop in foreign sales expected for this year by exporters of bananas and pineapples in Costa Rica.
The drought in the Caribbean region, together with the attack of a bacterium on the plantations, will cause a year-on-year drop of at least 15% in banana production in 2019, according to business leaders.
After reaching a $200 million record in exports in 2016, in 2018 the value of pineapple juice sold by Costa Rican companies abroad fell to $104 million.
According to the annual report "Foreign trade in the agricultural sector", published by the Executive Secretariat of Agricultural Sector Planning (Sepsa), in the last two years’ pineapple juice exports have reported a downward trend, from $200 million to $156 million between 2016 and 2017, and from $156 million to $104 million between 2017 and 2018.
During the first nine months of 2018, the main regional crop exported was coffee, with $2,493 million, followed by banana, with $1,939 million, pineapple, with $825 million and sugar, with $645 million.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]