China received a lot more Philippine pineapples in the first five months of 2015, while Japan and South Korea registered slight declines in imports.

According to data from the China Customs Information Center, Philippine exports rose 65% year-on-year to reach 24,931, dominating trade with an 88% market share.

The statistics indicate a continuation of a buoyant upward trend, after total Philippine pineapple exports to China rose 74% to 61,726MT in 2014, albeit with prices down by US$0.20 per kilo on average last year.

In contrast, the average price for Philippine pineapples in China between January and May this year was US$1.23 per kilo, compared to US$1.05 during the same period in 2014.

Japan's Ministry of Finance data shows the country's imports of the fruit for the same period were down 5% at 60,347MT, with the Philippines making up 99% of the Japanese pineapple supply.

Imports in South Korea were down 10% for the five months at 28,699MT, according to the Korean International Trade Association. The Philippines supplies 96% of the nation's pineapples, followed at a long distance by Costa Rica.

UNComtrade statistics show the Philippines was one of the world's leading pineapples last year, coming in second last year. Japan was its leading market with 41%, followed by South Korea (24%) and China (9%), shipping a total of 461,855MT.

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