Mother Nature certainly seems to favour Peru when it comes to asparagus production, according to experts. The country enjoys enviable soil and climatic conditions while investment in state-of-the-art packing and handling facilities and storage systems has put its exporters in pole position.
If that wasn’t enough, Peru is only one of a handful of countries that can produce asparagus 52 weeks a year. Production is concentrated along the country’s coastline, stretching from La Libertad to Ica.
Exports to the UK totalled 760,000 11lb cartons as of week 33, according to the Peruvian Asparagus and Vegetables Institute (IPEH). This represents a five per cent increase compared to the same time last year. Despite the higher volumes, however, UK market share is decreasing.
“In 2005, the UK imported 11.4 per cent of total volumes and the projection is that it will be close to 10.3 per cent this year,” says Beatriz Tubino, manager of IPEH.
Agrokasa claims to be the largest shipper of Peruvian asparagus and, says the company’s president Jose Chlimper, the number of shippers targeting the UK market is growing. Interest has been sparked by the strength of sterling against the US dollar and increases in demand.
Agrokasa is not unduly concerned about the growing competition targeting the UK, and instead is taking advantage of the rise in worldwide asparagus consumption. Last December, the producer extended its asparagus production area and now grows the vegetable on land covering more than 1,950 hectares.
It has also built a second packhouse close to the new land, which only recently opened its doors on August 15.
“All production is EurepGap certified and the two packhouses have HACCP accreditation,” Chlimper says.
Taking the sector to the next level is a key priority for producers, and Hargreaves Plants has set up a number of trials with leading growers in Peru. According to the company’s asparagus specialist Jamie Petchell, these trials have produced favourable results.
“One of our varieties from New Zealand, Pacific 2000, is already out-yielding the standard variety by more than 40 per cent,” he claims. “We have high hopes for this selection based not only on its excellent yield, but also the spear quality and wonderful eating quality. I expect to see large commercial areas planted over the next two-three seasons.”
Furthermore, the Jersey King variety is being more widely adopted based on its yield and quality characteristics, in addition to its disease tolerance.
According to Petchell, other varieties are also making an impact and Hargreaves Plants’ sister company, Asparagus International, regularly supplies commercial volumes of seed from its New Jersey material, bred at the University of Rutgers.
While Petchell rates the Peruvian asparagus industry highly, he says the industry has been relying almost solely on the variety UC157.
“Not only does this mean that there is a distinct lack of a point of difference, but the mono-cropping environment could also be dangerous,” he warns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Petchell sees new opportunities for the industry being in the area of cultivar development. This will include finding higher-yielding types, but just as important will be the identification of better-quality varieties, with stronger or sweeter tastes, new colours, improved spear quality, and even additions to ready-to-eat salad packs.
In recent years, purple asparagus has found a more captive audience and Petchell says demand is rising as growers further attempt to differentiate their product from their competitors. “The purple material we have from New Zealand is thought to be the world’s best for maintaining its rich, deep colour in hotter climates, and this has certainly been the case in Peruvian trials to date,” he says.
Working with three major Peruvian asparagus suppliers, Barfoots has seen its imports increase substantially over the last two and a half years. Colin Miller, Barfoot’s head of supply chain, expects UK demand to continue rising.
“Our asparagus business with both retailers and foodservice customers is growing very quickly,” he says.
Marketing campaigns and retail promotions have raised the profile of asparagus and Miller says the effective marketing of the UK crop has had a knock-on effect on year-round demand. “The perception of asparagus is that it’s accessible to all whilst also being aspirational,” he adds.
It’s not only importers who have enjoyed growth with the spear tipped vegetable. Asda has imported Peruvian asparagus for more than 20 years and the retailer’s Anne Spencer says sales have grown significantly over the last five years.
Like others, Asda believes that domestic promotional campaigns benefit other asparagus sales. “Promoting UK asparagus, not just through price but also through publicity from the UK marketing campaign, is a great way of encouraging new people to buy into the product,” Spencer says. “Without question, a proportion of these new customers continue to buy asparagus once we move back in to the imported season.”
Although asparagus is gradually losing its valuable image as a luxury item, Spencer says that despite years of progression and development of growing techniques and varieties, asparagus is not a high-yielding crop. This inevitably makes it a higher-cost option for the consumer than some of the other standard vegetables available.
“Asparagus is often still regarded as a treat rather than an everyday purchase, and this is something we need to continue to challenge,” she says.
However, she believes that Peru’s natural advantages give it a head-start. “The growing environment in Peru is absolutely ideal for asparagus with low to no rainfall, plentiful irrigation water from the near-by Andes and a warm climate,” Spencer explains.
“All this is conducive to consistently high-quality product and consistent availability. This means that once we have attracted customers we have a good chance of being able to convince them to keep coming back.”
Logistics is an important part of the Peruvian deal, as asparagus is airfreighted to the UK. While importers are generally pleased with the condition of product on arrival, demand for space can be high during seasonal peaks. “The cost of airfreight is dictated by oil prices affected by world events and this is a very challenging area of the supply chain,” Miller points out.
Indeed, transporting asparagus is not without challenges. As there are no direct flights between the Peruvian capital Lima and the UK, product often has to pass through one or more of a number of hubs such as Atlanta, Ontario, Madrid, Amsterdam or Quito before it reaches the UK, says Chlimper.
The recent terrorist threats and attacks have led to heightened security checks at airports and some producers have expressed concern that delays could hamper shipments.
IPEH believes that if there are delays due to security inspections, the problem will be reduced if refrigerated warehouses are readily available.
One way to lower logistical costs would be to develop more efficient distribution chains, says Andres Vazquez, general manager of Frio Aereo. “Getting Peruvian asparagus into more retail and foodservice outlets is also a priority,” he adds.
These problems notwithstanding, insiders are confident that having made significant inroads with asparagus, further growth will follow. Offering good, year-round quality at stable prices will boost consumption in the long-term, Chlimper believes.
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