Hungary’s asparagus season started at the end of April, which is later than usual, and is expected to run until mid-June, according to an analysis by the Agricultural Research Institute (AKI).

According to the analysis, farm gate prices for locally-grown asparagus are 12% higher than a year earlier. In late April and early May, asparagus was going for HUF 2,000/kg at Budapest’s big wholesale produce market.

Hungarian farmers harvest 5,600-6,700 tonnes of asparagus annually, according to data from recent years. Last year, the value of asparagus exports rose 15% to HUF 2.66 billion.

Hungary exported 1,090 tonnes of asparagus to Germany, 537 tonnes to Switzerland, 245 tonnes to Sweden and 221 tonnes to Finland.

Total asparagus production in the European Union came to 315,400 tonnes last year. Germany accounted for around 40% of the crop.

Source: BBJ