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Cuban pineapples make
breakthroughs in European market
After several years of absence from the
international market, pineapples from the Cuban
province of Ciego de Ávila have entered the European
market with the prospect of increased exports thanks
to demand for the fruit.
The exporting initiative was realized by farmers
from state enterprises and the cooperative sector
making up the Empresa Agroindustrial de Ceballos,
the only company on the island equipped for such
exports.
According to the director of the company, Wilver
Bringas Fernández, from January through September
2014, over 500 tons of fresh fruit were sent to
Italy and France, surpassing the targets for this
year, with exports due to continue.
Fernández specified that they expect to extend
exports to other European countries, where the size,
sweetness and other qualities of the fruit have
sparked interest. This variety of pineapple known
as MD-2, was brought to Cuba from Costa Rica and is
exclusively grown in Ciego de Ávila.
According to experts, the crop yield is on average
89 tons per hectare, three times more than that of
the Española Roja variety, which is the most
commonly grown in the country.
A fruit possessing plant, which includes clearing,
fumigation, drying and other processes, is located
in the south of the Ciego de Ávila region. The
fruit is exported with its crown to protect it and
ensure the best quality.
The supply of the fruit to the foreign market and
also to tourist centers across the country has
provided important monetary income, which has
enabled continued cultivation and the acquisition of
other supplies.
Ciego de Ávila has more than 500 hectares dedicated
to the cultivation of the MD-2 and Española Roja
pineapple varieties.
The province has harvested over 1,400 of the
expected 1,500 tons of the so-called queen of Cuban
fruit so far this year. This is especially positive
given that the fruit was one of the most negatively
affected crops during the 1990s and early 2000s. (AIN)
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