PINEAPPLE CROP UPDATES - Q3 2023
The Thai pineapple juice industry is now in between the Summer and Winter crops. Almost all the factories are under maintenance or at a standstill and there are just two plants still running limited volumes of fruit in the interim. The Winter crop will begin between mid-September or early-October depending on the availability of fruit from the plantations. Analysts suggest that the hot and dry weather during the Summer campaign probably indicates that output from the Winter crop may not be that good. The drought is attributed to early signs of El Nino.
Producers in the Philippines and Indonesia are reportedly holding stocks. These two regions have much lower overhead costs because most of the processors own their own plantations.
Therefore, until these stocks are depleted, producers in Thailand are likely to hold off from offering any substantial stocks on the market. Analysts say that the price situation should be clearer in one month’s time.
