The warm weather in Andalusia so far this year has resulted in the green asparagus harvest in Granada being about a month ahead of schedule. Indeed, although volumes are still limited, the asparagus harvest has already been ongoing for a week. However, with the forecast of falling temperatures from the end of this week, the campaign is not expected to kick off with significant volumes until mid-March.
“At the moment, we are handling between 1,500 and 2,000 kilos of green asparagus per day at our facility,” says Francisco Delgado, manager of Los Gallombares. “However, for now, there is an abundance of small calibers and the quality is not very good.”
“The expected drop in temperatures will slow the harvest down, so we will likely not have sufficient volumes to start the domestic asparagus campaign in the major European retail chains until around March 15,” said Francisco Delgado.
Although the asparagus acreage was reduced in 2022 and 2023, the trend is currently changing. “The good commercial results of the last two campaigns, with profitable prices for the producer, are sparking increased interest in replanting asparagus. This year there has been a shortage of seeds, but by 2025, a strong growth in the acreage devoted to green asparagus is expected in Granada,” says the manager of Los Gallombares, which has around 2,500 hectares in Granada and some crops also in Málaga, Jaén, Huelva and Córdoba.
The cooperative is also importing asparagus from Mexico at this time, until it can rely on the domestic production. “We are not importing large quantities, as there is also not a high demand. European retail chains are waiting for the Spanish asparagus, which is more affordable than the Mexican asparagus imported by air,” says Francisco Delgado.
For more information:
Francisco Delgado
Los Gallombares S.C.A
Ctra. de Priego, s/n
Ventorros de San José Loja. Granada, Spain
T: +34 958315195
[email protected]
www.losgallombares.es