South Korea becoming major market for RP pineapple
By Joel R. San Juan
Reporter

SOUTH Korea is fast becoming one of the country’s major importer of Philippine pineapple, Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban announced Thursday.
       Panganiban said the Federation of Pineapple Growers of Basud, Camarines Norte, made two shipments of at least 12 metric tons of pineapples to Korea two weeks ago.
       Another shipment, this time consisting of 15 metric tons of pineapple, was made on May 3.
       Panganiban said the market demand primarily increased after a trade fair held in Korea two months ago.
       He said after the trade fair, private companies started importing more of the fresh pineapples that are grown only in Camarines Norte and some parts of Mindanao.
       “The good news is that the demand is increasing. The problem is we have limited supply,” he said.
       Panganiban said farmers, even small ones, should expand areas devoted to pineapples to meet the increasing demand. He said with such huge demand for Bicol pineapple from the Koreans, the country needs to produce more to sustain the requirements from that country.
       Panganiban said he had instructed the DA Regional Field Unit in Bicol to explore more agricultural land suitable for pineapple planting.
       Korea is one of the top five markets for Philippine food and other food preparations with exports amounting to $256 million in 2004. With the increasing market demand of Korea for Philippine pineapple, he said, it could boost the country’s agricultural export and generate more jobs, he said.
       Panganiban said the demand for the fresh pineapples is growing bigger and he anticipates that the trend will continue in the next few months.
       “Every two weeks, food processing companies from Korea are ordering our pineapples. They want our small pineapples because they are sweeter than sugar,” he said. The agriculture secretary said while there are pineapples planted in Bicol and Mindanao, he said it will take time for them to ripe.
       Farmers, he said, must anticipate such continuing demand to increase their income.