A production shortage in Italy, Germany and Hungary has pushed up the price of Spanish asparagus on European markets.
According to Germán Rodríguez of the Granada-based San Isidro cooperative, prices have soared since mid-May to unseasonably high levels after months in the doldrums.
Mild temperatures and low rainfall have brought production forward this season, resulting in less volume in May when output normally peaks.
“We’ve had very low average prices following the Mexican asparagus season, as there were excessive volumes in the markets when we started out harvest,” Rodríguez told FreshPlaza.
“Normally, in the month of May, there are many promotions in supermarkets to boost sales, since we reach the highest peaks in terms of production and prices are usually lower. That’s the opposite of what we’re seeing at the moment.”
However, Rodríguez said the current price spikes would not be enough to compensate for the low averages seen throughout the campaign as a whole.
