Edelmüse: Asparagus farmers are preparing for the start of the harvest

The asparagus farmers in Germany are about to start the harvest. In view of the beautiful and sunny weather, the stinging of the noble vegetables should now start in all growing regions, said Claudio Gläßer from the Agrarmarkt-Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI) in Bonn.

In some regions, the first asparagus has already been harvested – namely where the fields can be heated with the waste heat from industrial plants or power plants. “It’s relatively concentrated in one region in Bavaria, and there’s also that on the Lower Rhine,” said Gläßer.

Nothing can be said about the prices yet. However, since the supply is increasing due to the ideal harvest weather, they are likely to fall somewhat from a high level. “But we’ll have to wait and see how that develops.” This year the situation is different than last year: At that time it was still relatively cool at the end of March, but demand was high because of the Easter holidays at the beginning of April. “We will probably have slightly lower prices this year,” said Gläßer.

Difficult framework conditions

While the weather conditions are ideal for the asparagus harvest throughout Germany, other general conditions are not so rosy for the companies. The war in Ukraine could affect customer behavior. Because it is not yet clear whether consumers will still treat themselves to the luxury vegetable asparagus in view of the generally sharp rise in consumer prices – especially for energy – said Fred Eickhorst, managing director and board spokesman of the association of asparagus and berry growers in Lower Saxony.

It is also questionable whether there are enough seasonal workers from Eastern Europe. Many people from Poland, for example, who live near the border are likely to stay at home with their families and their homes this year, Gläßer said.