Open field vegetables 2016: asparagus harvest has highest yield so far

From 964 hectares, Thuringia's vegetable farmers harvested a total of 29,000 metric tonnes of outdoor-grown vegetables. This is 0.3 thousand metric tonnes less than last year, or -0.9 percent. The farmland rose by 11 hectares, or one percent compared to 2015. The three most important vegetables in Thuringia are still asparagus, cauliflower and white cabbage. According to the Thuringian State Statistics Office, almost a third of the vegetable farmland was used for asparagus. Compared to 2015, the asparagus farmland decreased by 13 hectares, or 4 percent, to 315 hectares. The 2016 asparagus harvest was concluded with a record volume of 7.6 metric tonnes per hectare. The harvest amounted to 2.4 thousand metric tonnes.

Cabbage was grown on 32 percent, or 304 hectares, of the open-air vegetable farmland. Of this, the cauliflower and white cabbage had the main share, with 94 and 159 hectares, respectively. The cauliflower harvest was a little more in 2016 than in the previous year, with 1,800 metric tonnes rather than 1,700. Compared to the long-term average of 2010/2015, the farmland decreased by 42 percent, or 68 hectares. The crop yield fell by more than half (2.1 thousand metric tonnes or 53 percent) compared to the five-year average. The farmland for white cabbage was slightly expanded by six hectares compared to the same period in 2015.

Throughout Germany, a total of 3.5 million metric tonnes of outdoor-grown vegetables were harvested from 120,900 hectares last year. Thuringia's share of the total cultivation area and the total quantity was just under one percent.

Source: Thuringian State Statistics Office