Costa Rica’s Pineapple Boom Unhealthy, Warn Experts

Costa Rica is one of the world's top five pineapple-producing nations. With growing demand for the healthy fruit, farmers expand their fields. Concern is emerging among growers in Costa Rica as “the industry has been associated with the deterioration and erosion of soils, the destruction of ecosystems and the contamination of water supplies,” writes Will Ferguson for the Tico Times. Farmers use the herbicide bromacil to control brush in citrus fields. While the pineapple's thick skin protects the fruit from contamination, the herbicide leaches into groundwater. Governments struggle to keep up regulating and enforcing new agrochemicals under development, noted an analyst attending a conference for pineapple growers in Costa Rico. A handful of countries in Europe ban bromacil, though the market for fresh pineapple is one of the fastest growing in Europe, notes a UN Food and Agriculture Organization report, and Costa Rica is a leading supplier for the continent. – YaleGlobal