“The French asparagus season is not over yet”

The asparagus season began relatively early in April, thanks to the spring sunshine in northern France, but the situation has completely changed over the past ten days. The reason? A sudden drop in consumption that is slowing production.

“No one wants asparagus anymore. It feels like the season is over, even though production is still active in several regions. In April, we were selling 40 crates in our farm shop; now we’re barely selling 10, and wholesalers at the market want nothing to do with it anymore,” explains Olivier Thomas, manager of La Ferme du Pont d’Achelles.

Earlier harvests shift the peak consumption period

The situation is reminiscent of 2022, with similar difficulties tied to weak consumer demand.

“When we started growing asparagus 20 years ago, the season began in May, with a peak around Mother’s Day. Today, thanks to advances in cultivation techniques, we can start as early as early April. Major production areas in the South have also pushed their harvests forward—some even begin in February. As a result, consumers tire of asparagus more quickly. They’re happy to see it at the start of spring, but by the end of May, they want something else. Whereas Mother’s Day used to mark the peak of the season, this year consumption during that time was very low,” says Olivier Thomas.

Impossible to compete with Belgian and Dutch prices

A bitter reality, made worse by other factors.

“Last year, consumption held up through the end of May because it was rainy—people didn’t feel like eating summer products. This year, spring 2025 has been warmer and sunnier, so by the end of May, people were done with asparagus, especially since the season began in March. They’re ready to move on. On top of that, Dutch and Belgian asparagus is currently being sold at €2/kg at the Lomme wholesale market (MIN). It’s a strategy: when they have too much product, the Belgians and Dutch send it abroad at unbeatable prices to ease pressure on their domestic markets. And that, of course, hurts French producers.”

A premature end to the season expected

Faced with a lack of outlets, the season may end earlier than planned:
“We could have continued harvesting for another month, but it doesn’t make sense if we can’t sell. We still have asparagus in cold storage, and labor costs are high. We’ve already stopped harvesting on 3 hectares to avoid having to throw the product away.”

Even if consumers seem to have moved on from the 2025 season, and the campaign is indeed over in major southern production zones, production is far from finished elsewhere:
“There’s still asparagus in the North, Brittany, Île-de-France, and even in the Centre region. Alsace is still going strong with a dynamic local market. There aren’t even any RNM market listings for our region anymore, even though there’s still produce available. Once the big producers stop, it feels like the season is over. But there are still many small independent growers, and it feels like we’ve been forgotten, even though our campaign is still ongoing.”

For more information:
Olivier Thomas and Françoise Thomas
La Ferme du Pont d’Achelles
Tel.: +33 3 20 48 60 43
laferme-dupontdachelles@orange.fr
https://www.lafermedupontdachelles.fr

Publication date: Friday, May 30, 2025
© FreshPlaza.es / Aurélie Pintat