The recent frost in Spain has greatly impacted many Spanish vegetables' supply. "Asparagus in the Granada region, for example, is completely frozen," says Special Fruit's Tom Maes. "That supply is at a complete standstill, causing Spanish product prices to skyrocket."
The frost hit asparagus hard
This Belgian importer usually receives the first asparagus from Spain in early March. "We're supposed to get shipments every other day, but we're not getting anything at all. The weather seemed to have been recovering recently, but then Jack Frost paid a visit. We're at the beginning of the Spanish season, so volumes were still fairly limited."
"However, I hear the unexpected low temperatures mean half the asparagus is damaged, and the other half is destined for the local market. There's almost nothing left for export. Plus, if you can get any Spanish product at all, you pay top prices of €10 to €15 per kilo," Tom explains.
An empty asparagus field in the Granada region.
There is also still minimal Dutch and Belgian supply, so market supply is generally limited. "The overseas asparagus supply is running normally, which benefits us. Most of our current volumes come from Mexico and partly from Peru. That supply's stable again. Those countries have also had a cold year, so volumes were lower, but they're picking up again. That's much needed, too, to meet demand."
"That overseas supply means we can fully supply our retail customers. They won't notice anything about the supply gap, but that's, of course, our job. Supply, however, cannot keep up with demand in the day trade. That sector's hectic at present, because of the decreased volumes. It remains to be seen how the weather in Spain will develop in the coming weeks because the larger open-field Dutch and Belgian volumes become available until April," concludes Tom.
For more information:
Tom Maes
Special Fruit
36 Europa Street
2321, Meer, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 331 70 660
Email: tom.maes@specialfruit.be
Website: www.specialfruit.be