Pineapple

Sweet pineapples from around Kindia are the pride of coastal Guinea – once exported to France by the shipload, now sold at every roadside stall.

The pineapple is a perennial of the bromeliad family, forming a rosette of stiff leaves with spiny edges. From the centre of the rosette rises an inflorescence whose fused fruits form a compound fruit – the pineapple – topped with a tuft of leaves. The plant comes from South America and is propagated vegetatively, for instance from cuttings of the fruit’s crown. It is rich in vitamin C and bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down proteins.

Significance in the country

In the 1950s and 1960s Guinea was one of Africa’s leading pineapple exporters, and the plantations around Kindia, Coyah and Forécariah became famous for their sweet fruit. Growing them still supports thousands of families, and pineapples from Kindia are considered the best in the country.

Where it grows

Lower (Maritime) Guinea, especially the prefectures of Kindia, Coyah, Forécariah and Dubréka in the hinterland of Conakry.

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