Belgium's asparagus supply seemingly shrinks yearly, says Jos Amelinckx of Amelinckx Asperges & Fruit. "There's less acreage every year because growers find it too expensive. All costs, including wages, have risen. In the future, we'll have to look carefully at who remains," he says.
"To cover costs, you should actually get the current €5/kg median price all year. These days, you only survive if you have early asparagus. Then if farming is too costly for two, three years, growers throw in the towel. Then the acreage shrinks. That's how it goes, right? The same thing happens in Germany, but we must still make a living. There will come a time when asparagus stays very expensive all season."
Still, demand remains, especially in the local market. "The season's almost over, and, for now, consumers seem to be paying the higher prices. Less than three weeks, and it'll be over. This season's prices were nice because there was far less supply than in previous years. However, it's getting trickier as the season nears its end because there are no more promotions. On Friday, the prices were €7 to €8; yesterday, a kilo fetched €4," Jos explains.
His company has 15 hectares of asparagus, a small part of which is green asparagus, with most being the white variety. Besides asparagus, Jos grows strawberries and cherries in the spring. "Green asparagus is showing a similar trend as the white variety. These are also reaching their end, and we had a great season."
Switching to cherries
Now, they are slowly switching to the cherry season. "We just started with covered cherries. Everything's also terribly expensive there for now. That happens when there are problems in Spain and Italy. Then there's far more demand than supply. We're seeing prices of around €17/kg. Then people think twice before taking cherries. That price will drop in the coming weeks, but the lower supply will probably keep prices high," Jos concludes.
For more information:
Jos Amelinckx
Amelinckx Asperges & Fruit
171 Koningin Astridlaan
2880, Hingene, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 475 269 915
Email: info@topasperges.com
Website: www.topasperges.com