Chairman Willy Kreienbaum with the asparagus princesses of the previous years
The chairman of the asparagus association is satisfied: “The season is going well. We have reached a continuous and steady delivery to the market and price curve.”
15 percent under last year's level
Kreienbaum explains that the expectations regarding the total harvest need to be adjusted slightly downward due to the cold weather. “When one forecasts the total harvest, we believe that we will be around 15 percent under last year's yield.” However, after the record season of 2014, this is normal, says the asparagus producer.
“The prices are fairly similar to last year's level”, Willy Kreienbaum reports, satisfied. An even demand for asparaguses is showing throughout the overall whole season. Consumers can currently fall back on a good quality. “Because of the weather, the quality is perfect. Because we have not had any great heat periods in this season thus far, the ratio of asparagus blossoming is very small. Other quality problems that are normally caused by greater heat periods have not occurred so far.”
“A slow increase, though calculatory not quite harmless”
According to Kreienbaum, the minimum wage is not causing the companies great trouble thus far. Nevertheless, the chairman reminds us that one also needs to keep an eye on the entire development. “The wages have increased by ten percent this year. Next year, another ten percent, and another ten in 2017. Although it is a small increase, calculatory, it is not entirely harmless.
Documentation obligation also causes problems
The greater problem for the cultivators are the so-called documentation- or logging obligations, which have arisen in the wake of the minimum wage. “We are still struggling with the logging obligation”, Kreienbaum reports. “We think this is still in urgent need of change. Because our work is dependent on the weather above all else, as well as determined by demand, on some days there is a higher working time requirement than others.”
The chairman is appealing to politics here: “We still need to become politically active in this area. At least the problem had been discussed a few weeks ago at the employment minister conference in Länderebene. Thus, the matter is slowly moving forward. We appreciate this and will strongly support his as a company, and more so as an association.
For more information:
Willy Kreienbaum
Spargelhof Kreienbaum
Gröblinger Str. 62, 48336 Sassenberg-Füchtorf
Tel: 05426/ 2361
w.kreienbaum@spargel.com
www.spargelstrasse-nrw.de