“End-of-season asparagus shortages are due to depleted volumes and early field exhaustion”

It’s not the first time there’s been a shortage of asparagus on the market at the end of the season. “Supply is minimal compared to demand, and for two reasons,” explains Will Teeuwen of Teboza. “First, the volumes we expected to see in weeks 22 and 23 actually arrived earlier, during the two previous weeks, resulting in slightly higher supply then. This was purely due to weather conditions. The second reason is that the late fields were more damaged than expected by last year’s rainfall. We had to pull these fields out of production early to ensure that the plants would yield sufficiently next year.”

“This volume shift and the earlier halt of fields are once again causing a volume shortfall at the end of the season, and this seems to be more of a structural issue than a one-off incident.” Teboza will continue harvesting asparagus until the end of week 26. “Given the working conditions, we’ve had a good season. Completely different from last year, when we were harvesting in muddy boots well into June. From a production standpoint, yields were slightly disappointing—but that’s the case for all growers. Prices have been good and seem to be slightly higher than last year. But we desperately need them to be. All costs, especially labor, have risen significantly. That’s why we need structurally higher prices for our product. Of course, we want asparagus to remain affordable. But we absolutely need good pricing: if we do the math, the return per kilo is lower today than it was five years ago!”

Planting in the Netherlands

Left: cultivation in Spain | Right: Teboza’s sales team

The Spanish asparagus season had a very difficult year. “Just as all the fields were ready for harvest, the rainy season began. We faced the same situation there as in the Netherlands last year, which affected two-thirds of the crop. Additionally, we had to cancel about 10–15% of the harvest due to rain. Normally, we begin planting in March–April, but the last plants were only put in the ground last week. That’s not ideal, because although asparagus loves warmth, Spanish summers can be a bit too much! Still, overall, I’m very optimistic about Spanish production in the years to come. We’ll just have to postpone our yield expectations by a year.”

Planting completed last week

Starting next year, Erwin Tillemans will become a second director in Spain. Teboza has taken over Tillemans’ neighboring company, Tilla’s BV—including 45 hectares of asparagus, a packing shed, and seasonal worker accommodations. “Erwin has been supplying us with asparagus for years. He has also visited us in Spain multiple times, and we discussed his wish to become our farm manager. Our Spanish fields are now 80 kilometers apart, which hasn’t been easy for our current manager. He will start working for us in Spain next season and will bring his own tractors with him, so he can operate using his own equipment. Overall, this is a very positive step, showing that we see many opportunities in the asparagus sector in the years ahead.”

New plantations in Spain

And the Spanish plots planted last year

For more information:
Will Teeuwen
Teboza
Tel.: +31 773071444
w.teeuwen@teboza.nl
www.teboza.com

Publication date: Thu, June 12, 2025
© FreshPlaza.fr / Izak Heijboer

 

Karel Kaptein, SARL Bigoud:
“Although prices remained stable, they didn’t make up for the lack of volumes”

SARL Bigoud, located in Brittany in Plomeur on the Pointe de la Torche, ended its asparagus season on May 15. It was a decent season thanks to stable and reasonable prices throughout, but overall not as good as last year’s:
“We started in early March, about a week late, and overall yields were lower than in previous years because the cold weather slowed down asparagus growth,” explains Karel Kaptein, manager of the company.

There was, however, a production peak around Easter:
“That was the only time during the season when we had a surge in growth. To avoid being stuck with excess volumes, we ran promotions and lowered prices to around €6 for the 22+ calibers, which were particularly abundant this year. It was a winning strategy since sales remained steady, even though it’s always harder to raise prices afterward. For the other calibers—12–16 and 16–22—sold in bunches, we maintained prices at around €8 until the end of the season.”

Although prices remained stable and reasonable, they weren’t enough this year to offset the lack of volume.
Currently, alongside leeks, sand-grown carrots, and flower bulbs, asparagus is grown on 20 hectares at SARL Bigoud. This surface could be doubled by the future buyer of the farm, as Karel Kaptein plans to sell the operation this year.

For more information:
Karel Kaptein
SARL Bigoud génération
sarlbigoud@gmail.com

Publication date: Thursday, June 5, 2025
© FreshPlaza.fr / Aurélie Pintat