Hawai'i pineapple sales up 2.2%
By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer
Pineapple sales hit a 12-year high in 2003 even though production dropped 2 percent.
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Helped by increased sales of higher-priced fresh pineapple — as opposed to processed fruit — the overall farm value of last year's crop was estimated at $102.85 million. That was up 2.2 percent from the year before and the highest sales since 1991, according to figures released yesterday by the Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service.
The shift to higher-cost, extra-sweet pineapples has worked out well for Hawai'i's pineapple industry, which struggled through much of the 1990s.
Hit with competition from top foreign producers such as Costa Rica, Mexico and Ecuador, Hawai'i's pineapple industry struggled through much of the 1990s. The industry is rebounding on increased U.S. consumption partly driven by the introduction of so-called "extra-sweet" pineapples.
"It's really something (growers) have been focusing on for several years now as they really go after the high-value market," said state agricultural statistician Donald Martin.
Last year sales of fresh Hawai'i pineapples surged nearly 13 percent to 132,000 tons. Sales of processed pineapple dipped 10 percent to 183,000 tons. Overall production dipped 2 percent. That drop comes as growers such as Del Monte Fresh Produce Inc. reduce acreage to concentrate on fresh-fruit sales. Hawai'i's other two major pineapple growers are Maui Land & Pineapple Co. and Dole Food Co. Inc.
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8093.
