Maïsadour on the lookout for new growers

“Attracting new growers means ensuring a promising future for asparagus production”

As the asparagus season gets underway in the Landes region of France, Maïsadour is launching a recruitment campaign to find new growers. The southwestern cooperative, which produces almost 1,500 tons of green and white asparagus on 315 ha, intends to perpetuate this “local crop that offers a stable outlet” for the current 28 producers.

“Ensuring a promising future”
“Today, the challenge is not to develop the sector, but to maintain a qualitative production in the region,” explains Lucie Gemain, fresh vegetables manager at Maïsadour. “But the crop is well established in the region, and the support provided by VEGA*Maïsadour advisors helps to overcome these obstacles. Growers can ensure a good harvest with a small surface area, and once the technique is mastered, asparagus production can be very exciting.

Attracting new growers will ensure a promising future for asparagus cultivation in the Landes, while preserving the region’s exceptional gastronomic heritage.”

France is the 4th largest producer of asparagus in Europe. On average, French people eat 630g of asparagus per household per year.

Asparagus cultivation: a profitable economic pillar for producers
For the past fifteen years, Maïsadour has been developing a 100% local asparagus production chain (green and white asparagus certified PGI ‘Asperges des Sables des Landes’ or Global Gap). In partnership with Priméale, Maïsadour aims to “ensure the sustainability of local production while offering stable outlets for producers. The asparagus sector remains one of the most profitable crops in the area, accounting for 36% of the area cultivated in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.”

© PGI Sables des Landes Asparagus