The asparagus season started early this year. Despite the spring weather, it wasn’t just the greenhouse asparagus that was early, but supply from miniature tunnels also increased. Although this disrupted the market according to some traders, Sjraar Hulsman from The Greenery nuances this image. The market generally absorbs the asparagus well, and there’s an increasing interest in the spring vegetable.
According to Sjraar, prices for the asparagus from miniature tunnels was at a regular level, fitting with the supplied volumes. Due to the exceptionally warm weather mid-March, the start was three weeks earlier. Last year, prices were considerably higher. He indicates two factors that played a part in this. Firstly, Easter was early last year, and there was hardly any or no product from tunnels on the market. “That caused a scarcity on the market, resulting in prices rising considerably. On the other hand, greenhouse asparagus growers are having a bad year this year.”
Less imported asparagus
In recent years, the Dutch area increased from about 2,500 hectares to 3,800 hectares. “There’s plenty of room on the market for a larger volume,” Sjraar says. “We see the share of imported asparagus becoming less, consumption is increasing in the Netherlands, and the Dutch quality is also appreciated in Germany and France.” Because of that, there’s room for more asparagus on three fronts. “But we should ensure not to create peaks in supply.”
The asparagus cultivation is under pressure in Peru and in Greece, among other countries, and the areas are decreasing. That should offer more room for Dutch production early in the season. Most investments are therefore made in early asparagus.
Room in Germany
That better division is favourable for traders, but also for growers who are able to spread labour more evenly over the season. “Mostly large growers have joined us, and we see investments being made in early varieties with miniature tunnels and late varieties under black and white film,” he continues. For many consumers, the asparagus season is between Easter and Whitsun. Sjraar thinks the late Easter was advantageous this year. “You can see the market collapsing after Whitsun, and promotions aren’t doing as well anymore either, so it’s good we now have the volumes.”
To keep better track of supply, The Greenery’s growers have provided the beds with thermometers. Based on this data, a better estimate about the harvest can be made. “It was always tricky to guess how much would be harvested, but now we predict peaks better. The weather is the only unpredictable factor. Weather forecasts are still regularly wrong.”
The supply of asparagus is becoming ever broader. Besides the traditional loose asparagus, the packed and peeled asparagus were introduced years ago. Newer are the asparagus kits that contain all the ingredients to make a meal, such as soup kits. “Because the asparagus are offered in various ways, consumption increases. The kits are doing very well in the Netherlands. The kits are still a bit more unfamiliar in Germany, but we see interest for these kits increasing there as well. However, we do have to keep working on inspiring especially young consumers by means of tips, modern recipes and promotions.” Despite the large German cultivation, there’s room on the market for the Dutch asparagus. “Quality of the export is good, and can compete with production,” Sjraar explains. “Besides, the asparagus sector is well-organised in the Netherlands, and you can also buy large volumes from one location.” That good organisation of the sector is also expressed on the domestic market. Thanks to combined efforts to promote the asparagus, the market is growing.
