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Grower Leo Henckens sees the asparagus season kicks off

«When the sun makes its appearance, large volumes of asparagus will follow»

Saturday, April 20th marked the official kickoff of the asparagus season at Hoeve ‘t Bommesaarke in Kinrooi. For the occasion, Flemish Minister of Agriculture Jo Brouns was a guest at the farm of Leo Henckens and Carine Snijkers. «It’s always a special moment to let people know that we have, perhaps, the last true seasonal product again,» says Leo Henckens.

This year’s theme, ‘Quality Takes Time’, is more fitting than ever. «The asparagus is growing slowly this year. It’s staying cold just a bit too long, which means we’re getting off to a late start. Even on Saturday itself, we had to wait a bit because we were unlucky with the weather. I even offered the minister a raincoat, but he wasn’t too keen on that,» Leo laughs. «Overall, though, it was a beautiful day. We had a few showers, but otherwise, we can’t complain.»

«The minister spoke about how our own food supply is more important than ever. We’ve noticed that since the farmer protests. It’s known within the sector, but not yet among the general public. We can keep bringing in every type of food from all over the world, but that’s not sustainable in the long run. It means that for local supply, either prices have to go up or there simply won’t be anything left. That importance was emphasized again on Saturday.»

«Moreover, we need to return to seasonal eating. Should we have everything available all year round? There’s more and more debate about this. Asparagus remains the quintessential seasonal product. That distinguishes them, but shouldn’t there be more? We also have an ecological footprint that needs to be considered. Those were some of the key points Minister Brouns raised.»

After this serious note, the season was then officially opened in celebration. «We once started this because people would come asking if we had asparagus by the end of June. That was at the end of the season, but in this way, we want to show the general public that this is the time to go to your farmer and buy them fresh. We celebrated nicely with an asparagus snack and a drink. We’re off to a good start again.»

Larger volumes still need more sunshine
However, the large volumes are still a bit off. «The quality is superb,» continues Leo. «But they just don’t want to come out yet. They’re shivering a bit because it’s too cold. Sometimes we still have freezing weather at night, so progress is slow. The price is at a nice level, and the demand is definitely there. People are fed up and want the asparagus by now. We also notice this in our direct sales, which are going well. Maybe too well, since people sometimes ask for more than we have. The volumes are yet to come.»

«We also laid the plastic quite late. Only last week did we lay the last sheet because we couldn’t get onto the fields with the tractor. It’s just too wet. The advantage of this is that the asparagus has had more than enough moisture, so when the temperature and the sun come out, it’s going to be fantastic. They will come out at some point. I’m not worried about that, but it’s just a matter of waiting for when.»

«It’s more that it’s frustrating for our staff. They come from Poland and want to work full days to earn money. Luckily, we have a core team that has been coming to us for several years. They know it’s simply too cold to harvest on a large scale. It will remain so for the next week, but next weekend we’re hopeful for 16 degrees. We need some sun as well, and then we can really get started. We’re all dependent on the weather. This year, every cloud is a storm, so it’s just a matter of waiting. Nevertheless, we still see it very positively,» Leo concludes.

For more information:
Leo Henckens
Hoeve ‘t Bommesaarke
Kessenicherweg 27
3640 Kinrooi, Belgium
+32 494 87 17 91
carinesnijkers@telenet.be
www.aspergeskinrooi.be

 

Suisse :

« Les consommateurs sont de plus en plus nombreux à renoncer aux asperges importées »

À Kallnach (Seeland), l’agriculteur Ronny Köhli dirige une exploitation agricole spécialisée dans la culture des asperges. Son exploitation s’étend sur 19 hectares de terres arables, dont 10 hectares sont consacrés à la culture de l’asperge (7,5 hectares pour les asperges blanches et 1,5 hectare pour les asperges vertes). « Nous avons également un hectare et demi de nouvelles plantations dont la récolte sera prête l’année prochaine. Cela nous permet de remplacer les anciennes cultures qui sont devenues moins productives après près de dix ans », explique le propriétaire. Ce renouvellement continu est essentiel pour garantir la qualité et la quantité de la récolte d’asperges.

Sensibilisation aux produits suisses
Selon Ronny Köhli, le marché de l’asperge suisse est stimulé par la demande croissante des consommateurs et un besoin de trouver des moyens innovants d’utiliser les produits invendus. Quant à la demande, elle s’est stabilisée au cours des dernières années, note Köhli. « Je pense également que de plus en plus de consommateurs renoncent aux asperges importées, en particulier aux asperges transportées par avion de pays tels que le Mexique ou le Pérou », ajoute-t-il avec conviction. « Pour les asperges importées d’Allemagne, d’Italie ou d’Espagne, les gens ferment probablement encore les yeux, mais nous ressentons néanmoins une certaine sensibilisation à l’égard des produits suisses. »

Pour plus d’informations :
Ronny Köhli
Spargelhof Köhli
Gimmerz 42
3283 Kallnach
Tél. : +41 32 392 55 63
info@spargelhof-koehli.ch
www.spargelhof-koehli.ch

The situation from the point of view of an Apulian grower

«Organic asparagus is selling well at the moment»

After a ‘false start’ in mid-February, the organic asparagus campaign at the Pasquariello Giovanni farm in Carapelle (Foggia, Italy) officially began in mid-March. In total, the company grows 20 hectares of organic and 20 hectares of conventional asparagus. The Apulian company specializes in growing typical vegetables from the province of Foggia, including asparagus, and is a member of the APOPA producers’ organization.

«The first organic asparagus was cut in mid-March, a month earlier than in the previous two seasons. This year’s unusually warm weather accelerated the growth of the asparagus and we were able to start immediately with significant quantities,» says Giovanni Pasquariello. «This situation was the cause of some confusion on the part of both growers and traders, with a certain amount of reluctance on the part of buyers. However, the situation was quickly resolved within a matter of days. Sales picked up and prices were initially high.»

«We are currently harvesting normal volumes and about 30-40% of the season is complete. With the increase in available quantities, prices have returned to acceptable levels and sales are also smooth and regular. We are seeing prices of over €5.50 per kilo for organic asparagus and around €3.50 per kilo for the conventional product.»

Asparagus-based tastings at the last Fruit Logistica organized by the company

Organic asparagus is marketed in Germany and Austria, while conventional asparagus is marketed in France and the Baltic countries. But Pasquariello noticed something strange: «In recent weeks we have received an unusual number of requests from buyers in northern Europe, especially Germany. I think there must have been problems with the quality of the product arriving from Spain. At the very least, we have been able to meet a part of the demand.»

Photos provided by Giovanni Pasquariello