Growth and Export Performance of Pineapple from India: An Economic Analysis

The present study was undertaken to know the growth and export performance of pineapple. Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) is a tropical fruit belonging to the Bromeliaceae family, and it is commercially cultivated worldwide as a high-value crop. India is the sixth largest producer in the world. The objective of the study was to elucidate the growth and export performance of the Pineapple from India.The secondary data for analysis was collected from AGMARKNET, National Horticultural Board (NHB) and Agricultural and Processed Food products Export Development (APEDA). The results of the growth rate revealed a positive and increasing trend in pineapple exports from India during the study period, with an annual growth rate of 9.78 percent in quantity and 6.39 percent in value, which is significant at a five percent level of probability. The results of the Cuddy Della Valle index indicated that pineapple exports from India exhibit moderate instability, with values of 17.17 and 19.90 percent in quantity and value terms, respectively. It reveals that the average Nominal Protection Coefficient (NPC) value for pineapple was 0.53, indicating a moderate level of export competitiveness. Throughout the entire period, it is evident that India did not demonstrate competitiveness in pineapple exports, as indicated by the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA) values consistently being below unity and the Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) values being negative. The direction of the Indian pineapple trade was conducted using the Markov chain framework. Among the major importers, the United Arab Emirates stood out as one of the most stable markets with a high probability of retention at 0.624. Overall, Indian pineapple stands out as a reliable and competitive player in the global market, with a strong performance and potential for growth. Therefore, efforts should be focused on enhancing the quantity of exports while ensuring they meet the quality standards and align with the consumer preferences of other countries.