Today is the feast day of Saint John, and traditionally, that is also the day we close the asparagus season. “Today we cut the final asparagus, and then we can let the plants rest again. The plants need that, but it is also good. With a season lasting three months, we manage to keep the asparagus exclusive and generate attention for them. Now that we are reaching the end again, demand is becoming less,” says asparagus cultivator Paul Heger of the company Wipa from Velden, the Netherlands.
By his shop Heger grows asparagus, on an area of 0.6 hectares, which provides 8,000 kilograms. Besides, he also cultivates 20 hectares in greenhouses and in the outdoors in Limburg, which he sells directly from the wholesaler’s to the Food Center in Amsterdam.
“We had a good asparagus season. Because Easter was early this year we started with high prices. When we received a larger supply prices slumped for a bit, but now we have less supply, and prices are rising again. During the last six weeks I managed to maintain a price of 7 to 8 Euro for the best quality asparagus. The asparagus have to be marketable, they could also be too expensive.”
According to Heger it is remarkable that the green asparagus is also becoming more popular in the Netherlands. “It is being eaten much more often than before. Customers enjoy having something different. We Limburgers are used to the amounts of asparagus the Germans consume. We have not yet reached those levels yet in the Netherlands, although the trend is rising,” Heger concludes.
Paul Heger
Wipa
Rijksweg 67
5941 AB Velden