Australians urged to stock up on pineapples

How YOU can help the farmers: Australians are urged to stock up on pineapples after drought delayed the fruit from ripening in time for holidays

  • Drought-affected farmers desperately try to sell off tonnes of the excess fruit
  • Growers in Queensland are shipping off 70,000 pineapples a day to stores
  • Farmers missed out on peak demand for pineapples during the holiday period
  • In a bonus for consumers, pineapples are now cheaper and taste even sweeter  

Australians have been encouraged to eat more pineapples this summer as drought-affected farmers desperately try to sell off tonnes of the excess fruit.

Growers in Queensland are shipping off more than 70,000 pineapples a day to stores, after the crippling drought prolonged ripening of the popular fruit.

As a result, farmers missed out on peak demand for pineapples during the holiday period.

‘Fruit quality is really good, sweetness is amazing but there are just a lot of pineapples out there,’ Tropical Pines sales director Joe Craggs told the ABC. 

Growers in Queensland are shipping off more than 70,000 pineapples a day to stores, after the crippling drought prolonged ripening of the popular fruit

A fire tore through a farm at Bungandarra west of Yeppoon and destroyed stock and millions of dollars worth of equipment (pictured: burned pineapples on the farm)

A fire tore through a farm at Bungandarra west of Yeppoon and destroyed stock and millions of dollars worth of equipment (pictured: burned pineapples on the farm)

‘I think the combination of production that’s come from central Queensland and some of the other areas has created a glut, certainly in the last week, with a lot of pineapples in market and in stores.’

Mr Craggs believes there hasn’t been as much demand for pineapples compared to summers gone by.

‘It’s a tricky start to the year; we’re just trying to give the crop and growers the best possible chance. Growers out there are all trying to support each other and we’re just trying to sell the pineapples as well as we can.’ 

Mr Craggs said current batches will taste even sweeter as a result of the hot and dry conditions this summer.

And due to the over-abundance of pineapples, consumers will be paying less at the supermarket checkout.  

However, some of the pineapples have shrunk due to recent moisture and humidity. 

The drought and bushfire crisis has caused a horror pineapple season for local growers.

Pineapple grower Ryan Brooks has been doing it tough since a fire tore through his farm at Bungandarra west of Yeppoon.

The blaze wiped out Brooks and Sons Farms’ packing shed and millions of dollars worth of equipment.

There’s set to be an oversupply of pineapples until at least the end of February.   

Due to the over-abundance of pineapples, consumers will be paying less at the supermarket checkout

Due to the over-abundance of pineapples, consumers will be paying less at the supermarket checkout

 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk