A year ago, the chambers were empty; now, agricultural organizations like the UPA estimate that there could be around one million kilos in stock.
Asparagus crops already cover an area of 6,500 hectares in Granada and there are great concerns in the sector, which over the last ten years has benefited from stable and profitable prices, with fluctuations of barely ten percent. Now, however, producers are going through times of great uncertainty, because the orders are not arriving as smoothly as last year and because besides the accumulation of stocks after the closure of the markets after the Easter holidays, there are even more worrying signs. It is true that the weather conditions have been perfect to ensure a peak in the production, but it is also true that there are competitors everywhere; in other provinces, in other autonomous regions and in other countries.
To understand what is happening, it is worth taking a look at the prices paid for this vegetable. A year ago, a kilo was being sold at origin for 3.60 Euro (average of the four calibres that are marketed). Taking away the 1.20 Euro of handling and packaging costs and the 0.80 Euro of operating costs (basically harvesting and amortization), the grower was earning 1.60 Euro. Now the bills remain the same, but the price paid for a kilo is now at 2 Euros. A devaluation taking place in the weeks of greater activity is normal; it always happens. What is not so clear, given the huge volume that is flooding the domestic and international markets, is that the price will remain above 2 Euros this campaign, as was the case in 2016. As a result, entities like Agroláchar have called for a meeting to inform their partners about what is happening.
Francisco Rico is the president of Agromesía, one of the five societies integrated in 'Espárrago de Granada'. It has four hundred associates (eighty devoted to asparagus) and a staff of ninety-five people in high season. "This Tuesday, we have about 60,000 kilos in refrigerated chambers," states Rico, who adds that after Easter there are few orders. He does not hide his concern about the fact that there is so much supply in circulation and the consequences that this situation could have on the value of the harvests and the income of growers. "I think this year there will be too much asparagus," says Francisco Rico. "In the past, we were the only ones operating in March and in April, but now there are many."
What will happen in the medium term? According to Francisco Rico, the situation could be further complicated. "We ourselves have planted 1.5 million plants this year," he affirms. These are large farms which will reach their maximum productive potential after three or four years, and the same thing that is taking place in Granada is also happening in Cordoba, Seville, Guadalajara...
In any case, the biggest competitor at the moment is Italy, which is shipping cheaper batches than Spain. Mexico and Peru have already retreated. But Italy is not the only one to have jumped on the bandwagon. Plantations are also proliferating in consumer countries (and customers for Spain), such as Germany or Switzerland. Perpignan, in France, which is the epicentre of vegetable distribution in the European Union, is also recording lower prices.
Another key factor is the weather. The temperatures are reaching ideal levels, especially at night, for the asparagus to grow, as reported by José Enrique Alcaide, owner of a ten-hectare plantation in Escóznar. He produces about 100,000 kilos and employs thirteen people until the end of May. "We start early, about three o'clock in the morning, and we light our way with flashlights," explains Enrique, who says that the weight of the shoots is greater in the morning. The labourers start with olives; they then move on to asparagus and they finish with garlic."
Fuente: ideal.es
