Costa Rican pineapple

Some words and titles evoke more than others. L'Costa Rican pineapple will taste exotic to many, mouth-watering to others, or sound like a horror movie title to some.

But then why so many differences in the way we perceive this exotic fruit ?

We're going to try and give you the lowdown on pineapple in Costa Rica, its history, its culture and the effects of its production on the environment. We'd like to make it clear that our role is that of a neutral, objective observer, and we take our information from several reliable, experienced sources in order to give you a real, global view of pineapple production in Costa Rica. These sources include organic pineapple growers (don Belicio in Boca Tapada), CANAPEP (national chamber of pineapple production and export) and others.

A little history

Pineapple production in Costa Rica has gone through two important phases. In the 1960s, production was still at an artisanal level. Production was intended for local consumption, with little or no ripening of the fruit. The second phase began in the early 80s. This was the phase of industrial production, international exports and the use of fertilizers and artificial induction. It was the Piñera del Sur companies and the multinational Chiquita that began this massive production. The major producers at the time were Honduras, Ecuador and Mexico. Costa Rica was still in its infancy. While in the early 70s, the entire production was reserved for local consumption, today it represents only 7%. The rest of the production is sent all over the world.  

Economic importance

Pineapple cultivation occupies almost 45,000 hectares of Costa Rican territory. This represents around 0.8% of the territory for this crop alone. Pineapple has become Costa Rica's flagship product. You'll find them on every supermarket shelf. Who hasn't eaten their Costa Rican pineapple? Economically, pineapple brought in US$941.95 million in 2017. Compared with 2011 (US$789.41 million), the increase is significant. Pineapple now accounts for almost 32,000 jobs in Costa Rica. For a total of 145 exporting companies and around sixty packaging plants. Distribution of pineapple export countries

Conventional pineapple growing

We won't go into the technical details of this crop, as that's not the purpose of this article. We will, however, present the most significant aspects of its production. Pineapple production requires a full year to produce fruit.

What are the requirements for pineapple production?

Soils must be acidic, draining, exposed to the sun and irrigated during the dry season. The soil must be prepared and enriched with fertilizer (spreading of bottom dressing) to be able to support the pineapple. Pineapples have very little rooting power. Pineapple varieties have changed over time. While the Cayenna Lisa was the main variety produced in the 80s, Costa Rica quickly switched to Champaca production and now produces the world's star pineapple: the Golden.

How do you plant a pineapple?

Pineapple production is based solely on offshoots. The mother plant produces several types of offshoot, and selecting the best offshoot is of vital economic importance. The shoot must weigh between 300 and 400 grams to produce the best fruit. The prepared offshoots are immersed in an insecticide-fungicide spray before being planted. It is customary to plant offshoots in quantities ranging from 55,000 to 77,000 plants per hectare. The same plot can be planted 3 years in a row, but the fruit will lose quality and weight over the years. As pineapples are not very competitive with weeds and other diseases, they require a great deal of fertilizer to bring the fruit to maturity. The main threats to pineapple production are mealybugs, weeds and phytophtora rot.

Flower induction

Naturally, pineapples are induced by lower temperatures, shorter daylight hours or smoke. In conventional farming, this induction is artificial. It is produced using an ethrel-based slurry. It takes place between six months and a year. Spreading is best done in the evening.

Harvesting

Pineapples can be harvested as soon as the bottom quarter of the fruit turns yellow (although this will depend on the consumer and buyer). Harvesting is done by hand. The stalk is cut off about 2 cm from the base of the fruit. The crown can be removed according to the buyer's preference.

Organic pineapple

While the production stages remain more or less the same as those described above for conventional pineapple cultivation, it's the use of fertilizers and their quantity that makes the difference. The big difference between conventional pineapple and organic pineapple comes from the products used for induction, phytosanitary products and the quantity of insecticides and fungicides used. We won't go into the names of the products in detail here. The important thing to know is that in organic pineapple production, the products used are slightly less toxic than in conventional pineapple production. Organic pineapple cultivation is therefore not totally neutral for the environment, but has a much lesser impact than conventional cultivation.

Effects of pineapple cultivation

In Costa Rica, pineapple doesn't exactly have a good reputation. Indeed, many areas have been "destroyed" by this crop. Former forests have been transformed by pineapple fields, which have burned the soil due to the enormous quantity of chemicals required for production. Some villages will no longer be able to use their groundwater because of the infiltration of these products through the soil. Biodiversity is greatly affected, as nothing grows back for several decades after pineapple production. Habitats are therefore destroyed and will take a long time to re-establish themselves. While the environmental danger is obvious, the social impact is causing growing unease. Workers' illnesses, low wages and difficult working conditions in the fields make pineapple production difficult for exporters to defend. The fact that there is a gap between the huge economic profits of the big companies and the difficult working conditions on the one hand, and the environmental impact on the other, makes pineapple hugely unpopular.

And what about the consumer?

It is of course recommended to eat organic pineapple rather than conventional pineapple. But it all depends on our supermarkets and other distribution chains. However, the educated consumer will be able to lobby his or her preferred fruit supplier to switch to organic fruit.

Can you choose a good pineapple?

Everyone has their own method: "I feel it", "I touch it to see if it's soft", "I use color". Well, the good news is that these are not the right solutions. It's important to know that color will vary according to pineapple variety. For example, an organic pineapple will be much smaller than a conventional pineapple, and will be more green in color when ripe. Here's a tip from an organic pineapple farmer on how to choose the right variety: "For it to be good, you need to choose a pineapple with eyes (you know, the little cells all along the pineapple) of the same size from the base of the fruit to its head. This is very important, as it shows that the sugar is well distributed throughout the fruit. "I also recommend choosing a pineapple with a symmetrical geometric shape. It shouldn't have a wide base and a thin head. It should be well symmetrical."  

Is it dangerous to eat a pineapple?

A German study recently showed that the chemicals remain concentrated on the pineapple leaves. We recommend that you ask your market gardener to remove them before taking the fruit home. If you buy it in a supermarket, don't hesitate to remove the crown and discard the leaves. Then wash your hands and the rest of the pineapple thoroughly. Pineapple skins retain few chemicals, and the fruit is virtually free of them. So you can eat it without moderation, using it in many recipes or on its own.

Conclusion

The need to write this article arose from the many legitimate questions asked by our travelers. The same question often comes up: is it dangerous to eat pineapple? We wanted to be transparent and objective in order to give you accurate and real information, without any double talk. Pineapple cultivation is a real problem for people and the environment. Just like banana cultivation and all other monocultures (e.g. palm oil, etc.). It's up to us to know what's what and to impose our choices on the major retailers for better farming practices that respect the environment and people.