"Warm days paralyse asparagus market"

The warm days have not done asparagus sales any good. "We are now dealing with an oversupply. This is causing a situation where there is too much supply on the market", says wholesaler, Pierre Smets. He is from the wholesale company of the same name from the Dutch town of Geleen. "The market is out of whack. The large supply is causing enormous pressure on the prices. The asparagus is being sold at any price."

Smets buys the bulk of their asparagus at auction from ZON fruit & vegetables. They have a sizeable client base of retailers and street traders. Annually, asparagus, therefore, make up an important product for the business. He does not expect the market to easily right itself. "I expect that the growers will stop if they cannot cover their costs."

"It is downright bad", agrees Riny van der Staak, a trader from Venlo. "The explosive heat from last weekend caused the asparagus to have a growth spurt. This has paralysed the asparagus market. Holidays such as King's Day and 1 May are also not good for sales. Everyone, early and heated, is in production. This, while, in my opinion, hardly any promotions were planned. Here and there this also led to problems with quality. Although, in my view, the line, in its entirety, is good."

"At auction, the best asparagus are now selling for between EUR1,60 and 1,80. That is not good. With such a low price, Class II products are not found to be appealing at all. There is also plenty of competition from surrounding countries. These include countries such as Germany, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium", says Riny. He is, however, keeping hope alive for a revival in the market. "In the past, we have seen that, just as quickly as it can collapse, it can recover again. Sometimes, it seems, the price has to bottom-out before people will eat them. Hopefully, this will happen again."

For more information:
P. Smets & Zn.
11 Hofdwarsweg
6161 DE Geleen
Tel: + 31 (0) 464 742 381
Fax: + 31 (0) 464 757 323
info@psmets.nl
www.psmets.nl

Riny van der Staak BV
Venrayseweg 132a
5928 RH Venlo
Tel: 077 323 09 19
Fax: 077 382 12 69
info@rinyvanderstaak.nl
www.rinyvanderstaak.nl