The green asparagus campaign is already underway in the Spanish province of Granada. "We started this year's harvest right after coming back from Berlin. We are expecting a higher production than in previous years, more than 2.5 million kilos," says Indalecio Cáceres, president of the San Isidro de Loxa cooperative.
"Prices at the moment are good because the volumes of asparagus available at a national level are not that large. There always comes a time when the harvest accumulates or markets close for longer than usual due to spring festivities at peak production times, causing prices to fall, and it is very difficult to get them to recover. Thus, we hope that the levels reached at the beginning of the season will be maintained for as long as possible."
"The good thing is that this year there has been more rain than in previous years," he says. "Last year, the production fell short due to the drought, and the year before it was even lower; and although we still won't come close to the 3.2 million kilos of three seasons ago, this year we will far exceed the production of 2024. Now we are at the mercy of the weather, because in a season that starts in February, there is always the risk of frosts, even in spring."
"Temperatures are increasingly milder in winter; in fact, almond trees are already in bloom in this area of Loja. But that doesn't mean that late frosts can't occur and wipe out all the flowers that are bringing the production increasingly forward, or the asparagus that have already sprouted," says Indalecio.
In Granada, November was considered an extremely hot month, with temperatures setting new all-time records, and January was again warmer than normal, although fortunately, with the necessary rainfall for the green asparagus grown in Loja, where this vegetable is cultivated mainly under rainfed agriculture.
"For now, we are very happy with the start of the harvest and we hope to achieve a good average before asparagus production starts on the continent. Peru or Mexico, which are still exporting asparagus, have an impact on our prices, but when Italy, where we export a large volume each season, or Germany have their own green asparagus, they won't buy from us anymore," says Indalecio.
For more information:
San Isidro de Loxa S.C.A.
Polígono Manzanil II, Avenida José Velasco, S/N
18300, Loja, Granada. Spain
https://www.loxa.es/