The pineapple plant is a herbaceous perennial, 0.75 to 1.5 m high with a spread of 1 to 1.2 m. It is essentially a short, stout stem with a rosette of waxy, strap like leaves. It is mostly grown at low elevations in areas with a temperature range of 15 to 30 ºC. Pineapple is harvested in the winter season as well as during July-August. Pineapple is a non-climacteric fruit, which implies that ripening is slow and fruit and the harvesting has to be done taking into account that after separation from the mother plant the ripening would decrease substantially unlike climacteric fruits. This is due to the absence of starch and there exists no possibility in the improvement of quality after harvest.

Pineapples start bearing in 8-12 months. Farmer sources confirm that the average is 10 months and it can be harvested for 3 years after planting, after which replanting has to be done. Cost of cultivation is 5.65 Lakhs/ha and the maintenance cost/yr is 3.50 lakhs. Profit in 3 years come to 1.75 lakhs to 2.5 lakhs per ha. The yield can be in increased by proper and timely management and profitably can be further increased.