Some asparagus farmers in the Netherlands are pulling the covers off the fields to slow down asparagus growth for a few days. The unusually warm spring has made Dutch white asparagus grow faster on the covered fields. Asparagus growers are making the most out of the abundant season, but more needs to be done to encourage European asparagus eaters.
Low prices are a major issue for growers, but price volatility and dealing with that is part of the seasonal business. We asked the asparagus cooperative, the Dutch Ambassador of Asparagus, a Rabobank global asparagus analyst, and an asparagus grower about ways to increase white asparagus consumption, and balance production and prices.
Short season, falling prices
The Netherlands asparagus growing season is just six to ten weeks from 24 April to 24 June. To get an earlier start every year, growers use various techniques such as double covering their fields to trap heat. This season, the extra heat has accelerated the growth on some farms to even more than six times normal production. White asparagus prices have fallen because there’s just too much asparagus available right now.
“Actually, asparagus prices have been falling for many weeks already,' says RaboResearch fruit and vegetable analyst Cindy van Rijswick. 'More consumption could help restore prices for growers, but a problem is that many supermarkets are not flexible. Supermarkets have scheduled their promotions in advance and do not quickly adapt to the market situation.'
Dutch farmer Frans Beumers grows asparagus in greenhouses, so he had an earlier February start on the season. “There is indeed over production this year,' he confirms. 'Because of the good weather, the asparagus grow faster. Through plastic management, we can try to slow down the process a bit. But when temperatures reach 30°C/85°F, it gets more difficult.”
“Asparagus doesn't have a long shelf-life and the cold storage on the farm and at the supermarket doesn't have the capacity to handle a great over-abundance, van Rijkswick continues. 'If too much asparagus is available, prices go down. If the best AA-grade asparagus is selling at lower prices, then the D-grade or lowest quality might not be sold at all. To solve the current problem, people need to eat more asparagus and that isn’t a bad thing.'
Nutritional benefits of eating more asparagus
“The asparagus has long been known for its diuretic properties, meaning it helps flush out the kidneys,' says van Rijswick. 'Asparagus also has nutritional benefits. The vegetable is low in saturated fat, low in cholesterol, a good source of dietary fibre and protein, and a source of various minerals.
“There’s still untapped potential for asparagus since it fits within a healthy diet,' she outlines. 'Asparagus is versatile, and consumers are increasingly more interested in plant-based diets. Green asparagus is really easy to prepare, but the white ones have to be peeled, which is quite time consuming. We are seeing more growers investing in peeling machines in order to sell them pre-peeled.
“Convenience and consumer-focused solutions are very important to support consumption. There’s also a major opportunity to raise consumption by supplying convenient concepts, supplying off-season, providing recipes and better communication to promote more of the health aspects,” says van Rijswick.
Asparagus ambassadors
A group of 22 asparagus farmers from the Peel and Maas area of the Netherlands have pulled together to support and promote asparagus. More than half of the growers sell asparagus at road side stands or have built farm stores, and some even have asparagus vending machines on location.
The cooperative has appointed its own asparagus ‘hype man’ Guul Smits as the 2018 Dutch Ambassador of Asparagus, “My task as ambassador is to promote Dutch asparagus in a positive way inside and outside the Netherlands,' says Smits. 'Peel and Maas is the largest asparagus growing area of the Netherlands, and because of that, asparagus are really important to the local food & agri economy.”
Asparagus waste
During the 2018 asparagus season, the extra growth has meant longer hours and more seasonal workers needed in the field, which also means more costs that farmers might not get back if asparagus go unsold.
Some larger growers like Teboza process asparagus waste into a concentrated powder for soups and sauces. The powder is usually made from broken asparagus and end pieces after being cut for packaging.
Grower Frans Beumers also supplies Teboza and is member of the Asparagus Guild. He explains the overproduction problem: “The residual flow is so large right now, that all the asparagus cannot be processed by one party and the overflow becomes too expensive to sell. The leftover asparagus will be destroyed because processing costs rise above the proceeds for the growers.”
Picking and processing innovations
One way to cut costs would be to have more automation and less handpicking. The next generation of asparagus AgTech machinery is being tested in the fields and should be ready for the 2019 season.
“We have already tested with the first customer in France. In the Netherlands, some farmers will have an asparagus harvesting machine for a few weeks in a test situation,” says Thérèse van Vinken, managing director of Cerescon, the developer of the first selective asparagus harvesting machine called Sparter.
“For the grower, on average harvesting costs will decrease with 40 per cent – 50 per cent, depending on the country and the hourly rates for manual harvesting,” says Van Vinken.
Promoting white asparagus consumption
Finding new technology, maintaining Dutch quality, cutting costs, finding ways to increase profits and consumption are the main reasons for the asparagus cooperative.
“We are producing 95 per cent white asparagus. Green asparagus is coming out of Peru and other countries, but we are specialised in white because that’s what sells in Europe,” says Mat Kersten of the Asparagus Guild. “We grow the most and eat the most in the south, in Brabant and Limburg. We know the product and we want excite and spark others to enjoy Dutch asparagus.”
To kick off the season, the Asparagus Guild was invited to promote the vegetable to 6,000-plus workers at Rabobank headquarters in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
