Qld pineapple glut sparks plea for consumers to ‘Take Two’

A perfect storm has put the Sunshine State’s signature fruit in peril, and only the power of the consumer can save it.

Drew (left), 10, and Sacha Stokes, 12, on the family pineapple farm at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Richard Walker

A one-in-50-year weather event has left Queensland pineapple farmers facing ruin as they brace for an unprecedented glut of the fruit.

Extreme rainfall, which started in February and continued throughout the year, has triggered a rush of premature plants with three-quarters of a year’s crops flowering early and all at once.

Farmers face mountains of surplus pineapples rotting on the scrap heap followed by a shortage, putting them in a tough financial situation.

Under normal conditions premature or “natural flowering” accounts for roughly 10 per cent of annual pineapple crops.

Instead, up to 70 per cent of this financial year’s crop, which should be harvested at staggered intervals to ensure continuity of supply 365 days a year, have flowered early and all at the same time.

Tropical Pines general manager Anthony Dobson said South East Queensland, which produces 40 per cent of Australia’s pineapples, has been left reeling by the extreme weather.

Tropical Pines is Australia’s largest packer and marketer of Queensland grown pineapples

“Mother Nature has thrown a curveball that could push some Queensland pineapple farmers out of business for good,” he said.

The surplus will be followed by a supply slump, with only 1,115,920 pineapples available from April to July 2023 (down from 3,054,600 the same period in 2022).

“As a result farmers face financial hardship for the next 12 to 18 months, with many predicting a 60 to 90 per cent loss of crops this summer,” Mr Dobson said.

The industry is encouraging consumers to get behind its Take Two appeal, which encourages them to buy two pineapples or more during their grocery shops when the glut hits in early January.

Sunshine Coast pineapple farmer Ben Stokes told The Courier-Mail it was devastating to see that three-quarters of a full year’s supply of fruit had already flowered.

“The rain and the cold has hit hard,” the fourth generation pineapple farmer said.

“It would be great if consumers could help us through this tough time by putting some pineapples in their trolleys.”