Exports of pineapples rose 2.7 percent in 2023 from the previous year, according to the major tropical fruits market review of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The report said the Philippines shipped 600,000 metric tons (MT) of pineapples in 2023 compared to 2022’s 580,000 MT, making the country the second leading exporter of the fruit globally.
The FAO did not indicate exact shipment figures and only provided estimates.
The 600,000 MT is equivalent to 18.8 percent of the 3.2 million MT total pineapple exported to the world last year.
The report also showed China was the biggest buyer of pineapples from the Philippines last year with a 43 percent market share, slightly higher than the 40 percent share in 2022.
“The long shelf life, year-round production cycle and attractive price-to-quality ratio of the MD2 pineapples, the main variety cultivated in the Philippines, proved to be a particularly strong selling point,” the FAO report said.
Other key markets for the Philippine pineapple are Japan with a 30 percent market share and South Korea, 14 percent.
The FAO report also said average export unit value of shipments from the Philippines was at $593 per ton in 2023, 3.8 percent higher than 2022’s average export value.
According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country produced 2.94 million MT of pineapple in 2023, up by 1 percent from 2.91 million MT in 2022.
