"Mini-tunnel asparagus production is well underway," says Franc Goertz of Goertz Asparagus, an asparagus farm in the Netherlands. All the rain means there are still fields left uncovered with plastic. "We must still plow about 20% of them, and it's still too wet to cover those crops. Production is, thus, not up to standard yet."
Quickly plowing a few fields during the dry days.
"Demand is good. Easter was a bit early for our liking, but we had product available from the mini-tunnels. And once you start harvesting, the product keeps coming," Franc explains.
"Fortunately, prices are good, and I expect them to stay that way. Yesterday, prices were around €9/kg for AA asparagus. That's good. It shouldn't cost €15-€20, then demand drops."
The grower is not yet considering harvest robots. "Luckily, we have enough staff available to get the work done. When the harvesting machines really work well, we'll switch," Franc continues.
"We've tested plenty of techniques, but that also takes a lot of time." Goertz Asparagus focuses on white asparagus but wants to slowly expand its green asparagus segment, too. "We're currently cultivating a few hectares, but we want to gradually up that because we see demand increasing," Franc concludes.
For more information:
Franc Goertz
Goertz Asparagus BV
Veestraat 20
6105 AB Maria Hoop
info@goertzasperges.nl
www.goertzasperges.nl