Pineapple prices fall on over supply

KOCHI/PUNE: Pineapple prices have crashed following a glut in the market. It could be the cheapest fruit available for the consumers now. In Pune and Mumbai, wholesale pineapple prices have declined to Rs 60-Rs 200 per dozen from Rs 100-Rs 350 per dozen.

Untimely rains in major production centres like Kerala have lifted the production at a time when there is a demand for other summer fruits like mangoes. “Instead of 5 loads (each load containing 9-10 tonne) around 15 loads are going to Mumbai daily from here. While raw fruit costs Rs 10 per kg, the ripe one sells around Rs 5 per kg,” said a leading pineapple trader in Kerala, Alex Joseph. The peak season for pineapple is August-September.

This time, the fruit arrived at the market early as a result of which the demand has gone down. “For the retail consumers, there are many fruit options this summer. Mangoes, whose prices have started cooling off, water melons and musk melons are the preferred fruits over pineapples,” said Sachin Ghule, wholesale fruit trader in Pune APMC.