Price increase due to the minimum wage
After the asparagus record year 2014, the average price of asparagus in Germany was 6.11 Euro. For this season, many asparagus growers are expecting a price increase related to the established minimum wage. According to Landgard - the asparagus associations and producers are expecting an increase of at least ten percent. The growers hope that they can cover the additional costs of the minimum wage through this price increase. The additional costs are resulting from the increased salary of harvest employees and the associated staff costs that are related to the new documentation requirements.
Acreage is grown by 22 percent
Asparagus is - according to the Federal Statistical Office - the most important vegetables of the local cultivation of Germany. Against the previous year, the harvest of asparagus has increased by approximately eleven percent to 114.000 tons. At the same time, the acreage has also grown to around 22 percent on approximately 25,000 hectares. Matching with that, the suppliers of Landgard have reported an expansion of acreage for 2015 as well. Landgard expects an increase of production by ten to fifteen percent.
Focus on regional products
Landgard is now one of the largest marketer of asparagus in Germany. Through their campaign “Deutschland schmeckt” the company and grower association wants to provide the value of regional products to the German consumers. “The consumer itself wants to know were his vegetables, especially the asparagus is coming from”, Landgard reports. The company wants to set a special focus on German fruits and vegetable and increase the demand for those products.
Sabrina Schnaudt
Landgard Service GmbH
Veilingstraße T1200, 47638 Straelen-Herongen
Tel: +49 (0)2839 59-1127
sabrina.schnaudt@landgard.de
www.landgard.de