Germany: 2022 asparagus harvest was worst in nearly a decade
Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (StBA) on Tuesday released data showing a sharp decline in the amount of asparagus harvested in the country for the year 2022.
Statisticians calculated that the harvest of 110.3 thousand tons in 2022 represented an 8% drop compared to 2021, adding that the last time the harvest was so low was in 2013 (103.1 thousand tons).
The StBA also found that exports had an even more dramatic drop on the year, falling 29% to 2,900 tonnes swt.
This fact led Germany to import 19,500 tonnes of the vegetable, mainly from Spain (34%), but also from Greece (24%) and Peru (12% each). Most of these imports (87%) occurred between March and June, when asparagus is harvested naturally.
“The reason for the scarcer asparagus harvest is probably linked to a drop in cultivated land,” said the statisticians, who noted a 5% drop in the area devoted to asparagus cultivation compared to 2021.
The most planted vegetable in Germany
Despite the drop, asparagus remains the most planted vegetable in the country in total area, occupying 21.3 thousand hectares, followed by onions (15.1 thousand hectares) and carrots (13.6 thousand hectares).
The data also showed a 2% jump in the amount of organically grown asparagus.
The biggest asparagus producing states in Germany are Lower Saxony with 25,300 tonnes, North Rhine-Westphalia with 20,300 tonnes and Brandenburg with 18,700 tonnes.
Wild asparagus is harvested in March at the earliest, although the season usually starts in April and runs through June, traditionally until St. Patrick’s Day. John’s Day, celebrated on June 24th.
“The first field asparagus from the warmer regions of Germany arrives in March, but usually not until April, when it is still relatively expensive,” the statisticians said. Prices in April 2022 were the highest since January 2015 and 34.5% higher than in April 2021.
Farmers say less land may be devoted to asparagus in the future as a result of cheap imports and rising domestic labor costs – although critics have long pointed to the fact that German asparagus fields are often filled with Eastern European workers dealing with the hard work of the harvest. the vegetable sensitive to very low wages as a sticking point.
Source: DW
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