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Analysing the price lists of the past few days (in Verona and Rome, for example), asparagus was selling for at least €6/kg.
"I grow asparagus on 8 hectares. I used to cultivate 12 hectares but I had to reduce the crops as I couldn't find labour. The problem is many don't want to work on weekends but asparagus doesn't care. You have to harvest as soon as the shoots come up from the ground, otherwise you can just throw them away."
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50% of the 8 hectares are protected crops, while the rest is open fields. "The climate had changed. I can tell because, a few years ago, we started harvesting mid-January and now we start almost a whole month later. After all, frost continued until a few days ago."
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Quality is very good despite the low temperatures and shoots remain firm even though harvesting was delayed. Collodoro grows the Atlas, UC157, Grande and Vegalim varieties.
The market is responding well. I mainly sell to Sicilian wholesale markets and some retailer chains."