Interaspa reflects gloomy German asparagus campaign
Attendance at Interaspa, a show dedicated to asparagus and berries in Sandhatten in Germany, is in sharp decline. Show director Fred Eickhorst said that this is the case with many agricultural events in the region. The sector is doing poorly, continuing the downward trend from the previous season, with a deflated market amidst spiralling production costs. Labour in particular represents a significant burden for German producers while the minimum wage continues to increase in the country. Bank interest rates are also rising, making it more difficult to invest to renew crops on German farms. In addition, producers are also encountering difficulties in handing down their activity to younger generations along the Rhine. So, the climate is far from calm, given all the uncertainties concerning the future of the German sector.
French campaign in sharp contrast to its neighbour’s
The 2023 German campaign saw volumes drop slightly, in line with the trend from the previous campaign, with stable prices, although price disparities were observed in different German regions. The climate remains gloomy for German producers walking the show’s aisles. By contrast, the French 2023 asparagus campaign went well, despite average sale prices over the season being identical to those registered in 2022 and production costs jumping again (+15%). However, French production is in currently going through a different phase from German production. The French asparagus sector is now stable after a period of drastic decline in surface area, and benefits from a dynamic domestic market. The German asparagus market, for its part, is a price-driven market. Experts from the sector advocate educating German consumers so that the share of household income allocated to food will rise from its current level in Germany of only 11% to closer to the 14% it is in France (Sources: Eurostat 2018; INSEE 2021).
