Updated satellite imagery has shown the expansion that has taken place in the Coast Rican pineapple industry over recent years.

Images from satellites images from the PRIAS Laboratory of the National High technology Center (CENAT) show that there are 66,266 hectares of pineapple production.

The center also found that plantations covered 57,327 hectares in 2016, meaning that within a year the industry increased its production area by 16%.

The discovery comes amid controversy in the country that the sector's expansion is negatively impacting on the environment, including causing water pollution and deforestation.

In May 2017, just days after announcing a ban on the herbicide bromacil, Costa Rican authorities ordered the suspension of Del Monte subsidiary Pindeco’s ‘Osa’ pineapple project amid protests over its proximity to protected sites.