Driving sustainability across the pineapple value chain

Challenge

The pineapple sector in Benin suffers from a high degree of disorganisation, which limits its competitiveness. Of the approximately 400,000 tonnes produced each year, less than 2 per cent are exported – that is, 8,000 tonnes – and only 3,000 tonnes were exported in 2023. The 6,000 smallholder farmers, mainly based in the Allada region, face significant post-harvest losses, limited market access and a decline in quality linked to outdated farming practices, exacerbated by climate change. Their produce therefore does not always meet the requirements of international markets.
At the same time, agro-industries (accounting for 60 per cent of demand) and exporters (40 per cent) struggle to secure regular, reliable and traceable supplies. When local supply is insufficient or of inferior quality, some exporters find themselves forced to ship products that do not comply with international standards, causing major crises in the sector, as in 2016 and 2024, and damaging Benin’s reputation.
This disconnect between producers and buyers results in unsold or fire-sale crops, even as international demand – particularly for high-quality and organic pineapples – is growing rapidly.

Innovative solution

The solution developed by Biolife Tech aims to restructure the sector by facilitating market access for the 6,000 small-scale producers on the Allada Plateau. It helps to reduce post-harvest losses, make better use of available volumes and improve fruit quality in order to meet the standards sought by local agro-industries and exporters. By supporting producers in adopting practices that meet international market requirements, the solution enhances the competitiveness of their production, particularly in high value-added segments such as premium-quality and organic pineapples.

It also helps to secure the supply for buyers through improved traceability, a more reliable supply and greater transparency. By reducing the risk of non-compliant products being exported, it helps to prevent further crises in the sector and to restore Benin’s reputation on international markets.

By re-establishing a direct and structured link between producers and buyers, the solution helps to better match supply with demand, whilst minimising economic losses.

Targeted impact

• 1,000 new producers registered on the platform and trained
• More than double the volume of pineapples sold via the platform
• Increase in producers’ income