There's more supply of imported asparagus on the market at the moment. "Current supply is about 28 percent higher than the same time last year," says Carlos Solf, VP of procurement at Southern Specialties.
This comes following an early start to the Caborca, Mexico season in February which brought good production of high-quality asparagus. Along with Caborca, there is also production underway in Obregon, Mexico. "Overall, the deal took off earlier than the last two years," says Solf. The season could also end earlier by two weeks by April 15.
Meanwhile, demand for asparagus, a popular springtime vegetable, is good and should remain strong going into Easter. "The market is getting better and the Easter pull will be big this year," says Solf. "Easter is earlier and there is enough volume in the pipeline."
The popularity of asparagus
He adds that Southern Specialties–which offers asparagus presentations ranging from microwave asparagus tips to large club store packs and also includes organic product and white asparagus–also hopes for continued good demand after the Easter pull. "Asparagus continues to be a "go to" vegetable for restaurants and households. With good availability, excellent nutrition profile, and a number of packaging and presentation options, we expect the category to experience continued growth," he says, adding that asparagus was recently listed as one of the "Clean 15" vegetables by the Environmental Working Group.
As for pricing, the increased volume at the start of the Caborca season resulted in prices that were the lowest in a long time. However current prices are attractive and subsequently, product is moving well.
For more information:
Charlie Eagle
Southern Specialties
Tel: +1 (404) 949-0944
ceagle@southspec.com
www.southernspecialties.com