According to the preliminary survey of harvest volumes of asparagus and strawberries in Germany by the Federal Statistical Office, the asparagus harvest will fall by 4 percent and the strawberry harvest by 14 percent compared with the previous year. Compared to the average harvest volumes from 2017 to 2022, the 2023 strawberry harvest will even be 23 percent lower and the asparagus harvest 15 percent lower.
HIgher minimum wage high production costs lead to smaller yield
The reasons for this are, on the one hand, the decline in acreage (asparagus: -4 percent compared to 2022, open ground strawberries: -7 percent compared to 2022) and also the cool spring, which delayed the harvest. Then there is the jump in the minimum wage, which in turn led to a further increase in labor costs for the other wage groups. Strawberry growers reduced their acreages and held back on investments in strawberry tunnels due to the sharp increase in production costs. Asparagus growers took areas out of production that had become unprofitable due to high harvesting costs and relied on young plants that can only be harvested in two to three years.
Simon Schumacher (r), 
spokesman for the board of the Association of Southern German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers e.V. (VSSE), explains: "The figures from the Federal Statistical Office show it clearly: The political measures, such as the sudden increase in the minimum wage to €12, have put farms under massive pressure and led to a reduction in regional production of strawberries and asparagus. Farms were unable to pass on the sharp rise in wage and production costs in full to consumer prices, as high prices would have reduced demand. At the same time, they had to stabilize prices by tightening supply through reductions in harvested area. However, they only managed to do this with a lot of luck due to the even weather, as it did not already become summery in April and May, and so there were no large quantities of strawberries ripening at the same time or asparagus sprouting quickly. However, despite the better sales, profits are so reduced by the significantly higher labor and production costs that there is not much left in the end."
VSSE calls for reliable legal framework for short-term, social security-free employment
Despite the minimum wage increases proposed by the Minimum Wage Commission from €12 to €12.41 on January 1, 2024, and to €12.82 on January 1, 2025, discussions about raising the minimum wage to €14 are not abating, which would represent a further increase of around 17 percent on the current minimum wage.
Therefore Simon Schumacher demands: "The policy must set the legal framework in such a way that the domestic production of manual labor-intensive vegetables and fruit continues to be possible. This includes, on the one hand, no further interference in the work of the Minimum Wage Commission and, on the other hand, reliable and unbureaucratic handling for the short-term employment of seasonal workers from abroad without social security contributions. Companies currently cannot rely on the previous audit results of the German pension insurance, and depending on the auditor or auditor, there may be completely different assessments, which can lead to high additional payments of social security contributions, sometimes threatening the existence of the company."
For more information:
www.vsse.de