Due to weather conditions, the supply of asparagus in March and April was lower than usual, so purchasing volumes were limited. In May and June, the market was sufficiently supplied. In pre-summer temperatures, asparagus fans again courageously grabbed local asparagus, which this year was characterized by very good qualities.

“Apart from the hesitant start to the season due to the cool temperatures and the few hours of sunshine, the asparagus season was characterized by very good asparagus qualities, good demand and stable prices. Who still wants to experience the intensive taste of this special asparagus season, should get it now”, explains Simon Schumacher, spokesman of the board of the Association of Southern German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers e.V. (VSSE).

VSSE e.V. / Christoph Göckel

Supply and demand match up well
“The asparagus season is going well with not so high harvest volumes and good demand. The qualities of the asparagus spears are good. Overall, everything has come together well. There have been no over-quantities and therefore no drop in prices. The season will end on June 24 with lower harvest volumes,” explains asparagus cultivation consultant Dr. Ludger Aldenhoff.

Ralf Große Dankbar, asparagus cultivation advisor in North Rhine-Westphalia, also draws a positive balance: “We are satisfied with the season. Supply and demand match up well. Demand from restaurants has also worked out well. All in all, the direct-marketing farms are having a satisfactory season.”

Good demand and stable prices
According to the Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI), consumer prices were lower than last year due to strategically low prices at the start of the season and the high proportion of promotional products, which also meant that food retailers’ margins were sometimes very low: consumers spent an average of €12.11/kg on German white asparagus in March, down 8 percent on the previous year. In April, spending was €10.42/kg, almost 0.5% lower than last year.

“With the official figures for May, which we unfortunately do not yet have, the picture is expected to turn somewhat, as in addition to the increased harvest volumes, the level at consumer price level also turned and prices were slightly higher than those of previous years,” explains Claudio Gläßer, asparagus market expert at Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft.

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