The weather is seriously affecting asparagus cultivation in the province of Foggia, Apulia. The tail end of a winter that is still harsh on Italy - as the weather is expected to worsen next weekend after a few days of good weather - is affecting the harvest of green, conventional and organic asparagus shoots.
On the left: Giovanni Pasquariello, a first-time exhibitor at Biofach 2023. On the right: current situation in asparagus fields (photos provided by Giovanni Pasquariello)
"If Spain is taking advantage of the favorable weather, we cannot say the same thing about Italy. We started with limited volumes of product in the first days of April, about 10 days later than what we originally planned," says Giovanni Pasquariello, owner of the Pasquariello Giovanni farm in Carapelle in the province of Foggia (Apulia).
"Because of the cold weather that stops production, the harvest started and then stopped, and started again and then stopped shortly after. We could call it a start & stop trend (in cars, start & stop is a system that stops the engine during prolonged stops and then quickly restarts it, ed.)."
Organic green asparagus intended for the Italian, German and Austrian markets (photo provided by Giovanni Pasquariello)
"The campaign, therefore, really got off to a slow start, with small quantities. Before Easter things were moving somewhat both in Italy and abroad, mainly in Germany and Austria. Instead, we were forced to stop because of the weather for four days during the Easter holidays, with rain, temperatures close to 0 °C, and hail events that we luckily survived," explained Pasquariello.
"We started harvesting again on Tuesday, 11 April. Because we are expecting to see spring temperatures for a few days, we will proceed with the processing of asparagus. From Saturday, 15 April, we expect another halt, since bad weather, with falling temperatures, will make a reappearance for a few more days. We therefore have a big question mark on sales, starting next Monday."
Limited production, but high demand and satisfactory prices "There is absolutely no shortage of demand for green asparagus. We have also started the organic product campaign, with satisfactory results, both in terms of price and quality. This is a matter of pride for us, since being able to obtain organic asparagus has not been easy. In particular, we have improved the technique of thermal weeding to fully control weeds, and we are prepared to save water by using sub-irrigation systems," continues Pasquariello.
Organic asparagus in the first year of sales (photo provided by Giovanni Pasquariello)
"This is the first year we are offering organic-grown asparagus. With the organic product, while remaining in the same Italian and foreign markets as the conventional one, we are working with new customers and new ones are being sought. We are at the beginning and so far, the feedback has been positive. What a pity the weather was so bad," concludes the Apulian entrepreneur.
For more information:
Giovanni Pasquariello
+39 328 9126249
Azienda Agricola Pasquariello Giovanni
C.da trionfo 1
71041 Carapelle (FG)
www.agricolapasquariello.it