Asparagus poised to increase in volume

“Volume on asparagus is moderate,” says Sandy Gatanio of Ayco Farms in Pompano Beach, Fl. “Mexico had good volume due to weather. But the volume has diminished significantly.” With Mexico out of the way, Gatanio says that the south region won’t come on for asparagus until Labor Day. “That’s when we’re expecting prices to ease off as volume increases,” he says. “And the next few weeks look steady. Not an overabundance of supplies but demand is met.”

With that moderate volume, prices are staying strong for now. “The price is staying strong in the mid to upper 20s which is a good price for this time of year,” says Gatanio.

Gatanio notes Ayco is comparing this season to 2016 given that last year’s asparagus season was more erratic. “2017 was an abnormal year. The weather conditions in Mexico were very good at the beginning of the summer, in June. And because it was such a depressed market, Peru closed down a lot,” he says. “Then Mexico had a terrible July from weather and they closed down. So we went from a sloppy $15 market to a $40 market.” This year, supplies look to be up compared to the more regular 2016 year.

Its asparagus program is one Ayco plans to discuss with visitors at this year’s Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit, held this October 19-20 in Orlando, Fl.

“We’ll present our regular commodities and our new bagged line of asparagus,” says Gatanio. The stand-up bag has holes in it so the product can breathe and it was first used last winter with organic asparagus. Proving successful, Ayco recently introduced the packaging into its conventional program. “The stand-up bag that doesn’t need to be refrigerated gives the retailer the option to display it in other areas other than the produce department,” says Gatanio, noting that at least one retailer has displayed the bags in the meat and seafood department to position it as a value-added product.