Pineapple Processing Industry faces raw material shortage

In Thailand, the pineapple processing factories are facing an acute shortage of raw materials this year, of up to 5 times lesser in supply compared to 2019, due to COVID-19 pandemic and drought, according to the Thai Pineapple Industry Association.
Wirat Piyapornpaiboon, President of the association, and Chairman of Prachuap Khiri Khan Federation of Industries said, “The current production of pineapple for canned pineapple factories is at around 1,000 tonnes per day, while last year the average production capacity was at around 5,000-6,000 tonnes per day.”
Due to the severe shortage, up to 18 canned pineapple factories in Prachuap Khiri Khan has to temporarily shut down their operations since the start of June. Another reason for the decline in supply is the price of pineapple which has plummeted since early 2020. Wirat said, “Many farmers have decided to stop growing pineapples as the profit is no longer enough to cover their investments.”
Normally, the canned pineapple factories in Thailand will close their production line in around July to August and will open again at the end of the 3rd quarter. Wirat added, “Due to the current crisis, I am not they will reopen in September. It could take up to 2 years to restore the domestic production capacity to match the demand in domestic and overseas markets.”