Insight Focus
- Thailand’s pineapple production will grow for the second successive year.
- It remains below pre-COVID levels.
- Most of Thailand’s pineapples are exported.
2022/23 Thai pineapple production will be the second growth year in a row. We think 1.76m tonnes of pineapple will be produced, up 2% on last year.
This is an excellent result given that Thai pineapple acreage has fallen this year, from 459k rai (6.25 rai = 1ha) to 455k rai.
Much of the decline in harvested area has happened in the north and central regions in the country. This is because pineapple prices paid to farmers have fallen during and after the COVID pandemic, which briefly interrupted fresh fruit trade.
In addition, farmers have faced rising costs, both due to labour shortages and the high price of fertilisers. Some farmers have switched to less fertiliser-intense crops like cassava, rubber, durian and rambutan.
Despite the fall in acreage, rainfall in Q3’22 was excellent and so production will rise from 1.72m tonnes in 2021/22 to 1.76m tonnes in 2022/23. However, Thai pineapple production remains below pre-COVID levels of 1.8 – 2.4m tonnes.
Thailand is a major producer of pineapples – canned, juice concentrate, fresh and dried.
Much of this is exported; 90% to the USA and Europe.
