According to Fresh Fruit, the international market for fresh asparagus is going through difficult times. "The main world producers, including Peru, are suffering shortages in the volumes of their stocks. These shortages are due to various reasons, the most relevant of which are the natural disasters and atypical temperatures recorded in most regions of the planet. In addition, the low yields of past seasons have led to a decrease in cultivation, especially where fertile land becomes scarcer."
"This complicated situation has also caused prices in international markets for fresh asparagus to skyrocket. There have been increases of up to 40% reported in markets such as northern Europe and Asia. This generalized situation seems to have compensated for Peru's decrease in export volume, a trend that's been noticeable since 2018. Until the end of July, the country exported 44,481 tons of fresh asparagus (-19% year-on-year in volume) for an approximate value of 162 million dollars (+2% in value)."
"In the Peruvian case, volumes have been decreasing for years. The sector's profitability was severely reduced by the poor results achieved during the pandemic, due to high freight costs and logistical difficulties, which generated the exit of large investors and a slowdown in their investment in this crop. In addition, the concentration on other crops with higher yields seriously damaged the most technified asparagus plantings and therefore the country's most profitable asparagus crops, leaving small and medium producers with higher production costs. During the pandemic, companies with large market shares decided to abandon this crop, as was the case of Agroindustrial Beta, which canceled about 1,500 hectares in Ica alone."
"Another determining point in the available quantities there are now, and that will probably influence the rest of the year and 2024, is the asparagus' great sensitivity to climate variations."
"Regarding the world's main suppliers, China has experienced the most drastic production drops. The pandemic was especially devastating for this Asian giant in terms of logistics, which significantly triggered production costs. This led producers to drastically reduce asparagus plantations, which is being reflected significantly during 2023. Its presence in markets such as Europe and North America is decreasing, generating important spaces."
Source: freshfruit.pe