March is the time for white asparagus in the province of Jaen, where the crop's plantations have been considerably reduced in the last decade, as the acreage has dropped from more than 250 to just about 100 hectares. However, for the leading company in terms of production and handling in the province, which is Conservas García Narváez (Congana), based in the municipality of Bedmar, and whose campaign has kicked off precisely this weekend, the prospects are better both in terms of production and quality.
The start of the asparagus campaign in Jaen also coincides with the celebration in Bedmar of the 2nd White Asparagus Fair, an initiative that the town council launched last year and which features a wide program of activities.
The white asparagus harvest in the province started with a delay of a few days compared to previous years due to the weather recorded in Jaen in recent weeks, with rain and low temperatures, which prevented the protected plantations from becoming warm enough for the asparagus to bud.
However, the harvesting of the product is kicking off with better prospects than in 2016, both in terms of production volume, which could reach almost 400 kilograms, and in terms of quality, which will be better, as pointed out by the managers of Congana.
Moreover, the fact that Easter won't take place until the middle of next month will also be a factor favouring the export of fresh asparagus, shipped in bunches of half a kilo. The exports of this asparagus are mainly intended for Central European markets, where the product's consumption is more widespread than in Spain.
In spite of the forecast of a greater asparagus production in Jaen, the 400,000 kilos expected are far from the almost two million kilos that have been harvested in the province in the best years for the crop, which was unknown to growers in the city until the early 90's of the last century, when this crop was introduced as an alternative and complement to olives.
Congana
Congana's canning plant is the last of its kind operating in the province (there used to be five) and this campaign expects to handle about 300,000 kilograms of white asparagus, taking into account both fresh and canned asparagus. Most of that production comes from its own plantations and a small percentage from other independent producers in the town of Jódar. Congana currently has white asparagus plantations in Cortijo de la Herradura (between Úbeda and Jódar) and in the municipality of Píñar.
To handle the fresh product and pack the rest of that production, the cannery is going to need about 120 workers in the coming months, including those in charge of the product's harvest and those devoted to the preparation of the fresh asparagus that will be shipped overseas, as reported by its managers.
Market
What seems to have improved, as far as the marketing of canned asparagus is concerned, is the capacity to compete against foreign producers exporting to Spain, such as China or Peru, which used to sell their product at much lower prices than those of the domestic product. "The plantations and production have been reduced in recent years and prices have now gained stability," stated the managers of Congana.
In the case of the Bedmar-based company, most of its production (more than 80%) is used for canning, while the rest is exported fresh during the first weeks of the campaign. When it comes to the canned product, Congana sells about 30% of the total under its own brand, while the rest is sold to other manufacturers in the country.
Source: ideal.es
