Pineapple
Pineapple is one of the most in-demand tropical fruits, with Europe consuming over 900,000 tons per year. Consumer interest in fresh, natural produce continues to drive growth, making pineapple a valuable export commodity.
For growers and exporters, this presents a huge opportunity to expand sales, enter premium markets, and secure long-term buyers. However, growth doesn’t always mean stability. Just like in the avocado trade, price swings, market power imbalances, and logistical challenges make pineapple trade unpredictable—often putting growers at risk.
Pineapple trade challenges
While demand is high, exporting pineapple is anything but straightforward. Market dynamics change fast, and growers often lack control over the factors that dictate their earnings.
Unstable Pricing → Pineapple prices fluctuate due to supply surges, shipping disruptions, and shifting demand patterns. Growers who invest heavily in production often sell at a loss when prices unexpectedly drop.
Market Power Imbalances → A few large European importers control bulk purchases, forcing small and medium-sized exporters to accept low-margin deals just to remain competitive.
Logistics & Supply Chain Risks → Pineapples have a short shelf life, requiring fast, efficient shipping. Delays at ports or customs clearance issues can mean lost revenue or wasted shipments.
Without protection from these market forces, pineapple exporters struggle to maintain financial stability.
2022
2022
In 2022, Costa Rican pineapple exporters faced challenges due to increased production costs. The rise in costs was attributed to higher prices for fertilizers and other inputs, which squeezed profit margins for growers. Despite stable demand in key markets like the United States and Europe, these increased expenses made it difficult for small and medium-sized producers to maintain profitability. Some growers were forced to reduce their cultivated areas or switch to alternative crops to mitigate losses.
Rising Production Costs in Costa Rica
2023
2023
In 2023, pineapple growers in Ghana faced significant challenges due to declining output performance in the fruit production industry. Despite Ghana's favourable conditions for fruit cultivation, including suitable climate and labour availability, the country's pineapple farms reported an average productivity of 60 tons per hectare. This is notably lower than that of competing nations like Costa Rica, where productivity reaches 120 tons per hectare.
This reduced output hindered Ghana's ability to meet both local and export demands, causing major processing and exporting companies to struggle with raw material shortages. Consequently, Ghanaian pineapple growers experienced decreased income and market share in the global pineapple industry.
Declining output
2024
2024
In 2024, the pineapple sector in Costa Rica experienced market uncertainty caused by price volatility. While the year concluded with stable prices and growth prospects for 2025, the market remained competitive, with the United States and Europe being the primary export destinations. This volatility created challenges for growers in planning and investment, as unpredictable price fluctuations impacted their income stability.
Market Uncertainty Due to Price Volatility
When Prices Drop, Growers and Exporters Pay the Price
Price volatility is not just a statistic—it has real, immediate consequences for those producing and exporting pineapple. Conversations with hundreds of growers and exporters have made one thing clear:
Unrecoverable Costs – Farmers invest in fertilizers, irrigation, and labor for months, only to sell at break-even or a loss when prices drop.
Shipping Expenses Don’t Wait – Exporters pay freight, customs, and storage fees upfront—if prices fall mid-transit, they take the financial hit before even making a sale.
A Lost Season Can Set Growers Back Years – When profits disappear, reinvestment in farm infrastructure, sustainability, and wages becomes impossible.
Smaller Players Are Forced Out – Growers and exporters without financial buffers can’t afford multiple bad seasons, forcing them out of the industry while large-scale suppliers dominate.
The pineapple trade shouldn’t be a gamble—but for too many exporters, it is.
You Work Hard. You Deserve Stability.
You put everything into your harvest—your time, your resources, your future. But when prices drop, you’re the one left carrying the loss. It shouldn’t be this way.
At SAFTA, we make sure you’re never alone in the trade cycle. Our model protects growers and exporters from market swings, securing fair pricing and stable income, so you can focus on growing, not just surviving.
How SAFTA makes a difference
SAFTA provides stability in an unpredictable market, ensuring that pineapple exporters get fair prices and secure trade conditions.
Stable Pricing Model → SAFTA’s pricing is based on real production costs and fair margin (FOB+), not market speculation. This means exporters get predictable income instead of gambling on price swings.
Direct Access to Buyers → With SAFTA Plus, we connect growers with reliable European buyers, ensuring long-term contracts over risky spot market sales.
Logistics & Trade Support → SAFTA Standard helps exporters navigate shipping costs, customs regulations, and compliance, reducing unexpected costs and delays.
SAFTA Rescue → When shipments get stuck at ports due to delays or compliance issues, SAFTA steps in to resolve the problem, protecting exporters from financial losses.
By focusing on fair pricing, stability, and real support, SAFTA allows growers and exporters to focus on what they do best—producing top-quality avocados—without the fear of sudden market collapse.
SAFTA vs. Fairtrade: Two Approaches to Fairer Trade
Fairtrade and SAFTA both aim to support farmers, but they take very different approaches.
