A Costa Rican government director has told website Columbia.co.cr the excessively low temperatures over the weekend could harm pineapple and banana crops.

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) regional director Erick Quirós, said the cold would especially have a 'deep and harmful footprint' on pineapples, leading to premature fruit birth.

He said the consequences of this phenomenon called "natural appearance" would be reflected in sales, with smaller size fruit and therefore lower prices, the story reported.

He said fruits were almost affected by more water as some rivers on the Caribbean burst over the weekend, but the water returned to the channels, saving a lot of crops from being drowned.

The Chamber of Costa Rican Pineapple Growers told the website it was too early to estimate the number of hectares affected by natural appearance, and will have a more precise figure in mid-February.

Photo: Trade Note

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