Unusually warm weather in Peru has complicated the growing and harvesting of asparagus there. With less volume produced, supplies of asparagus are light in the United States, which gets most of its asparagus from Peru this time of year.“It's been very hot in Peru with virtually no winter at all,” said Javier Moran of Camposol USA. Those light supplies have made for strong prices. On November 13, prices for a carton of bunched jumbo asparagus from Peru were between $22.00 and $25.00 at South Florida ports of entry. Those prices have encouraged growers in Peru to push their fields for more product, and that could result in quality issues.
“You have two main production areas where you can harvest two times a year,” said Moran. “You can harvest in January for about 30 days, and then you let the field rest until about July. But some growers are harvesting for 35 or even up to 50 days at a time, and so the fields aren't resting for the next crop.” But because of the shortage of asparagus, importers will likely take as much product as they can get, even if it isn't the best.
“There's not going to be poor quality, but there will be less quality,” said Moran. “There will be that 10 percent or so that will be of less quality than in past years. But the market is going to take it anyway because there is demand.”
For more information:
Javier Moran
Camposol USA
+1 954 317 0528