“It is the first time this year that we have no pineapples to sell!”

François Moran, manager of Tropibana, describes the pineapple market as complicated over the last three weeks. "There have been a lot of delays with the boats and a low supply due to poor flowering. As a result, prices have rocketed to between €12 [13.3 USD] and €15 [16.7 USD] per parcel."

The lower supply led to a sharp rise in prices, unfortunately attracting products of uncertain quality to the market. "Faced with such a dynamic market, growers tend, as usual, to cut the pineapple before it is fully ripe. However, pineapples ripen on the plant itself. As my father used to say, the best pineapple is the one you eat in the field. Fruit that is cut green has trouble ripening afterwards. We receive goods with a very green color - between 0 and 1 - and a lower Brix degree, even if the taste is acceptable."

Despite the relatively green pineapples and very high prices, the demand is high. "The last quarter is coming to an end. The holidays are over, and all the supermarkets in France are starting promotional actions, selling bananas at 0.99 euros [1.1 USD]. They want to round out their margins by selling related products such as mangoes and pineapples. Anything that can fill the shelves is fair game. In France, back-to-school promotions are part of the culture. But if retailers were to postpone their promotions by one or two weeks, they would make just as much volume and profit, and the market would not be under so much pressure. This week was the first time of the year that I did not have any pineapples to sell."