The Dutch asparagus season has started earlier than expected this year. Thanks to the favourable winter and mild spring temperatures in recent weeks, outdoor asparagus is coming into production noticeably early. "Last weekend, the wet weather temporarily slowed growth, resulting in lower volumes at all auctions on Monday," says Marcel Goumans, product manager at ZON. "However, the heat remains in the beds, and the asparagus is active. With a few good days, supply will quickly recover."
The early start is creating a different supply pattern this year than previously anticipated. "The gap between the early heated segment and the unheated crop is relatively short. In other years, there were occasional concerns about whether retail supply around Easter would be sufficient, but that does not appear to be an issue this year."
© ZON
According to Marcel, the outlook is currently positive. "So far, we are less affected by changing weather conditions than in previous years. At the same time, the weather always remains a key factor in cultivation. For now, the signals are positive for a good season. However, it remains to be seen what impact the early start will have later in the season."
Plus in acreage against national trend
Against the national trend, where asparagus acreage in the Netherlands has declined in recent years, ZON is showing slight growth this year. "We also see that older growers are sometimes reducing their acreage by a few hectares, but at the same time, a new generation of growers is expanding by several hectares," says Stan van den Elsen. "In Germany as well, a significant amount of acreage has disappeared. That remains an important auction market for us. "
© ZON ZON product managers Stan van den Elsen and Marcel Goumans
Efforts are also being made to boost consumption among younger target groups. "This year, we are once again running a promotional campaign together with Stichting Nederlands Asperge Centrum (Teboza, The Greenery, and ZON). Among older consumers, asparagus is already well established, but among younger people, we see that the number of stalks consumed per meal is lower. That is why we are giving asparagus additional attention, both online and offline, to inspire this target group as well," Marcel says.
For more information:
ZON
Marcel Goumans
Mob: +31 (0) 6 - 23 81 17 05
[email protected]
Stan van den Elsen
Mob: +31 (0) 6 - 38 69 54 69
[email protected]
www.royalzon.com
