Prices of pineapple have soared due to high demand of the commodity especially before the commencement of the holy month of Ramzan Owing to high demand, pineapple prices are surging beyond consumers’ budget in Kochi. There has been a 60% hike in the prices of pineapple this year. As a result, an imbalance has been created between demand and supply in the city, especially at a time when Ramzan is about to commence when demand for the fruit is generally high.
Issues plaguing pineapple industry
Farmers cultivating the fruit need to apply hormones to bolster the ripening process in advance as pineapple takes 120-140 days to mature. However, this year the ripening process has been delayed, which resulted in non-availability of the fruit and subsequently rise in its retail prices.
.jpg) While speaking to a Retailing360 correspondent, Noble John, secretary of the Pineapple Farmers Association based at Vazhakkulam in Kerala, says “Prices of pineapple has increased this year due to shortage of manure in Kochi, which is essential for improving production of the fruit. Besides, high wages of labourers have further added to the woes of pineapple farmers, thereby leading to labour shortage.”The prices of pineapple keep fluctuating in the domestic market. This year prices have surged and are hovering around Rs 22-18 per kg. Further rise is expected in the coming month when Ramzan begins.
According to Ranjit Shenoy, director of RJ Expo Link, a small-sized exporter of canned pineapples in Kochi, “With the increase in pineapple prices, the cost of canned pineapple is likely to increase as well. Moreover, hike in metal prices in 2009 affected players involved in the pineapple canning industry as they had to purchase the metal in advance when the prices were high. These factors have negatively impacted the pineapple canning industry.”
Storing of pineapple is also a major issue for farmers as the fruit cannot be stored under low temperatures and neither can it be kept in the open as it would overripe. Therefore, farmers are unable to export the fruit, which fetches them higher profits.
Sabrina Mitchell |
