Onome Amuge
Nigeria, despite its tropical climate and fertile land, is missing a golden opportunity in the global pineapple market, valued at about $27.08 billion. According to Okekunle Akintunde, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Pineapple Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NAPGROPMAN), the country’s current approach (exporting largely raw pineapples and allowing significant post-harvest losses), means that farmers and the economy alike are losing out on substantial value.
A recent report by Research and Markets, the world’s largest market research provider, projects that the global pineapple market will expand from $27.08 billion in 2023 to $36.80 billion by 2028, representing a compound annual growth rate of 6.33 per cent over the 2023–2028 forecast period.
Africa’s most populous nation produces around 1.54 million tonnes of pineapples annually, yet much of this yield is wasted before it reaches the market. Analysts note that the post-harvest loss rate is particularly high due to inadequate storage, lack of cold-chain infrastructure, and limited access to modern processing facilities. “What Nigeria loses annually to post-harvest waste in the pineapple subsector can significantly boost gross domestic product if properly managed. Growers are losing because they lack the modern infrastructure to preserve and process the fruit,” Akintunde said.
The argument for value addition is compelling. Globally, the highest returns in the pineapple value chain are not in selling fresh fruit alone but in processed products such as juice, canned pineapples, dried snacks, and concentrates. Countries like Costa Rica, Thailand, and the Philippines dominate the international processed pineapple market, supplying major consumer regions such as Europe and the Middle East. In the Middle East alone, the processed fruit sector is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.3 per cent through 2026, with major importers such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia spending tens of millions of dollars annually on pineapple products.
Akintunde emphasises that Nigeria is losing potential foreign exchange earnings by exporting unprocessed fruit. “Internationally, growers receive attractive prices for juice-grade fruit, sometimes higher than the fresh export market. It is more profitable to sell to processors than to rely solely on raw pineapple exports. Nigeria must reposition itself as a hub for processed pineapple to capitalise on this growing demand,” he noted.
The case for processed pineapple
The economics of pineapple cultivation and processing in Nigeria points toward enormous potential. Akintunde explained that the crop is a high-return, low-investment venture. For instance, planting a pineapple sucker, a shoot from the mother plant, can yield fruit within two years, with each fruit potentially commanding between N1,000 and N2,000 depending on location. The initial cost of a sucker ranges from just N150 to N200, meaning that the profit margins can be substantial even for small-scale growers.
Smooth Cayenne, a widely grown variety in Nigeria, offers additional advantages. The fruit has a strong international demand due to its high juice content and sweetness, making it particularly suitable for export and processing. Furthermore, pineapple farms can double as natural security perimeters; the spiny leaves of the plant deter grazing cattle, reducing the need for fencing and additional protection. “One of the benefits of pineapple is that cows do not enter such plantations. This makes it an ideal companion crop. Plant a few rows around cassava or other fields, and it acts as a natural barrier,” Akintunde noted.
Yet despite these advantages, Nigeria currently lacks the processing infrastructure needed to move beyond raw exports. Akintunde recalls observing the scale of investment required during a 2019 visit to the United Kingdom. He saw that a machine capable of producing raw, additive-free pineapple juice cost approximately N180 million, and noted that no equivalent production existed in Nigeria. The absence of such facilities limits the country’s ability to convert its substantial agricultural output into high-value, export-ready products.
Global market dynamics and opportunity
Globally, pineapple processing has become a sophisticated, capital-intensive industry. Costa Rica, for example, exports both fresh and processed pineapples to Europe, the United States, and Asia, commanding premium prices. In Europe, imported pineapples from regions such as Costa Rica and Hawaii can sell at prices far above local production costs due to scarcity and transport logistics. This pricing environment underscores the potential for Nigerian producers to capture a larger slice of international revenue if they can produce and export processed products competitively.
Middle Eastern markets, in particular, represent a lucrative growth frontier. Consumers increasingly demand convenient, processed forms of fruit, such as juices, canned slices, and dried snacks. With Nigeria’s tropical climate, large-scale pineapple production is possible year-round, giving the country a competitive advantage over regions where pineapple cultivation is seasonal. By integrating cold-chain logistics and processing facilities, Nigeria could supply fresh and processed pineapple products to these high-demand markets.
Policy and investment imperatives
To unlock this potential, stakeholders agree that significant investment is required in post-harvest handling, cold storage, and processing infrastructure. Reducing post-harvest waste is essential to translating Nigeria’s 1.54 million tonnes of annual pineapple output into economic value. Strategic investments could transform perishable fruit into high-value export commodities, increasing foreign exchange earnings and supporting rural employment.
Akintunde also advocates for stronger government support and private sector participation. By creating incentives for processing investment, facilitating access to modern equipment, and promoting research into high-yield, pest-resistant varieties, Nigeria can accelerate its transformation into a pineapple-processing hub. He stresses that the financial scale of the investment is substantial but proportionate to the revenue potential. “The equipment needed to produce juice-grade pineapple on a commercial scale is expensive, but the return on investment is immense if we approach this strategically,” he said.
The way forward
Nigeria’s prospects of emerging as a global force in processed pineapple are increasingly seen as attainable, provided critical structural gaps are addressed. This would require decisive action to curb post-harvest losses, sustained investment in modern storage, cold-chain and processing infrastructure, and the development of a value chain capable of consistently meeting international quality and safety standards. Beyond the economic upside, a scaled-up pineapple processing industry could accelerate rural development, generate employment across farming and agro-processing communities, and significantly deepen Nigeria’s agricultural export base.
“The global market is ready and waiting. Pineapple is a tropical crop that cannot be grown everywhere. Its unique qualities make it valuable in processed and fresh forms alike. Nigeria has both the climate and the land to dominate this market. What is required now is vision, investment, and execution,” Akintunde said.
