"Easter was later than usual this year. Normally, growers try to peak just before Easter. A lot of greenhouse growers work toward this, but this year mini-tunnel growers, and the early varieties grown under white plastic were ready earlier than usual. This was as a result of a very hot March. In addition, the cultivation in Germany also started very early. This is usually a good market for our greenhouse crops, but this year there were cheap, local asparagus readily available for Easter. This meant greenhouse crops were very moderately priced in comparison to past years, while farming costs were high', says Sjraar.
Retail selling peak between Easter and Pentecost
"The tunnels crops were ready early. If you only look at prices compared to last year, they might not seem to be excessively high. But, if you take into consideration that farmers were cutting two to three weeks earlier, the final balance for these growers was better than expected", says Sjraar. "An additional advantage of the early harvesting is constant production. In recent years, especially earlier on, farmers tried to delay late varieties since it is the perception of consumers that the season runs from Easter to Pentecost. This is seen in the retails and catering sectors."
This asparagus seller does not believe the Dutch asparagus market has reached its limit. "This year we had a situation where all asparagus were on the market early. At the moment there is too much product on the market, with moderate prices. There are substantial differences between in the average crop price among the different farmers. These were determined by when their production peaked. For example, it was a little colder at the end of April/start of May. This meant the market was flooded and prices peaked. In contrast, the second week of May was very hot and it followed a production peak, meaning prices were depressed. Since there are more class II asparagus after a few weeks of harvesting, the prices of this class were already disappointing early in the season. They also continue to be readily available, at any price, on the export market."
Room for growth of Dutch areal
"In the Netherlands, the demand for asparagus increased again this past year. However, there are not more asparagus being grown in Europe, so we need to expand the growth areas. In addition, Peru is sending less asparagus to Europe", says the salesman. "This year, sales to Germany were more difficult. Exports to Spain went well. France has also been wanting product since week 20. Distant countries, such as Japan, are good customers of thick, high quality varieties, but these volumes have little influence of the total. Thanks to The Greenery's extensive network, we have gained new clients in all the markets this season. We are making plans with these customers to systematically sell the growing Dutch supply."
"On the sales side, there was a good stable demand from the catering sector. Sales to the wholesale markets also went well. Supermarkets did marketing as soon as suppliers indicated that there would be a lot of product available. However, there was some hesitation early in the season, after the shortage and high prices of the previous years with this type pf marketing. It was also notable that supermarkets started by selling Class II asparagus. It is still too early to determine what effect this had. On a positive note, we again sold more peeled asparagus, meaning we reached a larger market."
Only 30% more asparagus sold
"Whether the season is good or bad therefore depends a lot on the production period and method of cultivation. Prices are are lower, but if a farmer does not get his kgs per hectare, he does not make money. This year we only sold 30% more asparagus. The season is not over. We still have a small group of growers with Backlim, a late, high-yield variety, who are still cutting until St John's Day. Hopefully the current good prices will last another week.
For more information:
Sjraar Hulsman
The Greenery
Tel: +31 (0) 180 656 979
s.hulsman@thegreenery.com
www.thegreenery.com
Sjraar Hulsman
The Greenery
Tel: +31 (0) 180 656 979
s.hulsman@thegreenery.com
www.thegreenery.com