Pineapples are selling for record high prices and those in the industry say consumers need to get used to paying more for the Australian-grown product, ABC News reports.

A lack of supply has pushed prices to record highs with the fruit being sold for as much as A$14 (US$9) each and an average of A$6 (US$4) at most supermarkets.

Sunshine Coast fruit shop owner Colin Erbacher said finding pineapples to sell at affordable prices had been difficult since a premature flowering event over summer.

"It's the dearest I've ever seen them in my life," Erbacher was quoted as saying.

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He said he tried to keep prices at his fruit shop to about 50 per cent more than usual and avoided passing on "ridiculous" wholesale prices to the customer.

"At the markets it was $6 to $8 a pineapple. We left them there, they weren't mature enough either, too green," he said.

He said maintaining consumer consumption of the fruit was vital to future availability.

"Prices need to stay up a little bit higher to pay for all the fertiliser and all the fuel," he said.

"The next generation won't grow them if there's no money in it and there won't be any pineapples down the track if we don't pay a little bit more."

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