You need the sun for good asparagus sales, as asparagus grower Walter Gubbels from Helvoirt knows. This is why Easter this year was early for good sales. "Now the weather is against us a bit, but with last weekend's warm weather consumers will get the spring feeling and the demand for asparagus pulls up. The current auction price is 10-11 Euro for double-A asparagus is fine. The grower can make some money and they trade can sell them well."
The production from the mini tunnels is getting going slowly. The asparagus cultivation from the greenhouses and heated cultivation is now decreasing and the real open ground production hasn't started properly. "Everyone bet on the Easter sales. Now we have to hope the sun will shine. It doesn't even have to be very warm, but if it doesn't there is a chance there will be a gap in the supply. That makes the price higher for a bit, but in the end it isn't good for the market," says The Greenery grower.
Although the Dutch asparagus cultivation has increased strongly in recent years, the market can handle the expansion well according to Walter. "To be honest I was worried a bit last year that we were creating an oversupply in the Netherlands, but it didn't happen. Asparagus used to be a luxury product and not all retailers worked with asparagus. All supermarkets now work with asparagus and they have become normal for all consumers."
Walter himself has planted 1.8 hectares of white asparagus in the greenhouses so as not to be too dependent on the weather, but the grower has an opinion on the length of the season. "Asparagus has to be sold from March to June, not in January and February. Asparagus has to remain a seasonal product." The grower prefers to find expansion in the colours and has a new purple Bejo variety and a green Limseeds asparagus variety. "These aren't large numbers and no one has them, but sometimes you have to take a gamble. I hope it pays off."
