Costa Rica’s first shipload of golden pineapples set sail for China in June of this year, and demand for the sweet variety is growing.

Costa Rican pineapples face competition in the Chinese market from the Philippines, but exporters say their main concern is boosting production in order to meet both existing and new demand.

“Our challenge is the increase in production … At this moment the export is balanced between the United States and Europe. The demand is there and prices are high, so exporters need their production for the existing markets. If production increases, more volume will be available for Asian and Chinese markets. Besides extending our production area, we also need to improve technology to establish a more efficient production,” said Jose Pablo Rodriguez, Asia commercial director for Procomer, Costa Rica’s export promotion agency.

Exports leaving Costa Rica’s Pacific Caldera port spend 25-28 days in transit to Shanghai which means the fruits have a relatively short shelf life in Chinese stores.

Rodriguez said it took years of negotiations and technical preparation to be able to enter the Chinese market with pineapples, and now 27 companies in Costa Rica have permits to export the fruit.

“Even though China has a large domestic pineapple production, especially in Southern China, it is an interesting export destination for Costa Rica. The Chinese variety is very different in color and taste compared to our MD2 golden pineapple. Costa Rica has exported pineapples to Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea for a few years. But the first Costa Rican pineapples were exported to China only in June of this year,” explained Rodriguez.

Procomer has other products on its list waiting to enter the Chinese market, as each product requires a separate permitting procedure.

“We have asked for market access for our melons as well, however this may take years to be approved. Cantaloupe melons are exported to Asia already, for example to Japan. We offer melons from January to May, which is their off season,” added Rodriguez.