"Asparagus sales are going particularly well this season," says grower Franc Goertz of Goertz Asperges, which has been growing asparagus on the sandy soils of Limburg since 1987. "There is quite a demand market. Until last week, prices were even very high, but with a price between 7-8 euros for the double A asparagus, prices are now also at a good level for the time of year."
"The season came a lot later. We had expected the mini tunnels to be fully in production by Easter, but there was no sign of that at the time. Still, that wasn't a hard sell, because after that prices went even higher. Meanwhile, decent volumes are coming out of the mini-tunnels," says the asparagus grower.
He also sees asparagus sales continuing well in the time ahead. "Variable weather is forecast for next week, with alternating sunshine and clouds. That's fine for asparagus. You won't get huge peaks in supply then and asparagus is usually eaten well at those temperatures. Also, sales of peeled asparagus only continue to increase."
Although the current asparagus market is not a cause for concern, Goertz does call the future for the asparagus sector worrisome. "It is and will remain difficult to organise everything, fill in the labour and comply with increasingly strict regulations. A whole generation of growers has already quit. You used to take over a neighbour when he quit, but you don't do that so quickly now. Even the bigger growers are taking it easy at the moment and shrinking a bit rather than expanding."
Franc Goertz with his family
"I do wonder where we will get our food from in five years, let alone in 10 years. I foresee that a whole boom of growers will stop, even though we do have the knowledge and climate to grow here," Franc stresses.
He himself started growing blueberries in 2010, followed by sweet potatoes in 2020. "We have expanded sweet potato cultivation quite a bit. For us, it's a nice addition in terms of cropping plan and labour record. Moreover, we can grow the sweet potatoes residue-free and we can compete qualitatively with the American ones!"
For more information:
Franc Goertz 
Goertz Asperges BV
Veestraat 20
6105 AB Maria Hoop
[email protected]
www.goertzasperges.nl