Indonesia's Fresh Pineapple Enters Italian Market

Jakarta, 16 Ramadan 1438/11 June 2017 (MINA) – Italians can now enjoy fresh pineapple from Indonesia instead of canned pineapple, thanks to the arrival of 18 tons of the juicy fruit in the port city of Venice last weekend.

This became possible after PT Great Giant Food in cooperation with Italian importers, SAMA SpA shipped for the first time fresh pineapple to the country of pizza.

The Italian importer plans to order the commodity as much as 20 containers or 360 tons of pineapple by the end of this year, Charles F. Hutapea, Counselor for Information, Social and Cultural Affairs of the Indonesian Embassy in Rome told Antara News on Saturday.

Also Read: South Korean Importers to Buy Indonesian Products

Previously, consumers in Italy can only enjoy the Indonesian pineapple that has been packed in a can.

The unloading of the container was witnessed by Indonesian Ambassador to Italy Esti Andayani, along with General Manager of SAMA SpA, Giorgio Masiero as well as Agricultural Attaché and Trade Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Rome

Ambassador Esti Andayani expressed his excitement because Indonesia’s fresh fruit commodities are increasingly in demand by consumers in Italy and can compete with fresh fruit from other countries. “So far, Indonesian fruits are exported to countries in Europe, now Indonesian pineapple can also penetrate Italian market,” he said

Also Read: Gorontalo Ready to Make Indonesia Mecca of 'World Halal Tour' in 2019

The Italian company previously imported pineapple from the Caribbean or African countries with delivery time of approximately three weeks. Meanwhile, the import process from Indonesia to Italy takes four weeks. However, longer delivery times do not affect the quality and shape of Indonesian pineapple.

According to the Indonesian Agriculture Attaché in Rome, Yusral Tahir, pineapple fruit is one of the leading fruit commodities in Indonesia. The amount of production comes in the third position after banana and mango. Almost all of Indonesian regions can produce pineapple. Now, the center production are located in Lampung, West Java, North Sumatra, East Java and Jambi. Indonesia’s pineapple production reached 1.84 million tons with a productivity of 117.5 tons per hectare.(P2/RS5)

Also Read: Indonesian President Sets Ambitious Target for Country's Business Climate

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)