Pineapple is one of the fruit which has been produced in India largely among North-Eastern and Southern state. Production of Pineapple is largely accumulated in north eastern and southern Indian state because of Rain fed conditions.
India’s diverse climate ensures the availability of all varieties of fresh fruits & vegetables. It ranks second in fruits and vegetable production in the world, after China. As per National Horticulture Database (Second Advance Estimates) published by National Horticulture Board, during 2020-21, India produced 102.48 million metric tonnes of fruits and 200.45 million metric tonnes of vegetables. The area under cultivation of fruits stood at 9.6 million hectares while vegetables were cultivated at 10.86 million hectares.
Origin and Introduction of pineapple in India:
Cultivation of pineapple originated in Brazil and gradually spread to other tropical parts of the world. Pineapple cultivation was introduced to India by Portuguese in 1548 AD.
The Portuguese took the fruit from Brazil and introduced it into India by 1550. The ‘Red Spanish’ cultivar was also introduced by the Spanish from Latin America to the Philippines, and it was grown for textile use from at least the 17th century.
Climatic Conditions for Pineapple cultivation:
Pineapple is mostly cultivated under rain fed conditions. Supplementary irrigation helps to produce good sized fruits in areas having optimum rainfall. Irrigation also helps to establish an off-season planting to maintain its year round production.
What is the life cycle of a pineapple plant ?
Cycle of the plant
The pineapple exhibits three main phases:
- The vegetative phase from planting to the differentiation of the inflorescence (flowering);
- The fruiting phase running from differentiation to harvesting of the fruits;
- The sucker growth phase: from fruit harvesting to the destruction of the plant.
What is the production time of pineapple?
Pineapple attains flowering at 10-12 months after planting and attains harvesting 15-18 months after planting, depending upon the variety, time of planting, type of planting material used.
Production and Statistics FAQs
Who are the top 3 producers of pineapple?
Philippines, Costa Rica, and Brazil are the top three pineapple producers in the world, supplying the most significant percentage of the global pineapple output. The Philippines is the largest producer, generating more than 2.7 million tons of pineapple, followed closely by Costa Rica with over 2.6 tons.
Top 10 Pineapple-Producing Countries (thousand metric tons per year)
- Philippines — 2,702.55
- Costa Rica — 2,624.122
- Brazil — 2,455.692
- Indonesia — 2,447.24
- China — 2,220.26
- India — 1,799
- Thailand — 1,5532.51
- Nigeria — 1,508.2
- Mexico — 1,208.25
- Colombia — 882.63
Which is the largest producer of pineapple in India?
Though Assam has the largest area under pineapple West Bengal is the largest producer.
Other states (including Assam and West Bengal) where pineapple is grown include Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. The other states where production of pineapple is on a small scale are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Other Facts about Pineapple:
Which state is famous for pineapple in India?
Meghalaya is known for growing pineapples in abundance. Pineapple variety found in this part of North East is the Kew variety. Kew variety is a late-maturing pineapple variety and is the leading commercial variety in India.
Which city is famous for pineapple?
Vazhakulam is a village in Muvattupuzha Talukis in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. This town is known as Pineapple City due to its large-scale production of pineapple in farms.
Which state is called Queen Pineapple?
Queen Pineapple is the state fruit of the Tripura, which is among the largest producing state of Pineapple. Queen pineapple is spiny, golden yellow in color. It has a pleasant aroma that differs it from the other pineapples producing in the North-East region of India.
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