The green asparagus campaign is starting slowly in Granada, with limited volumes due to the delay in the harvest caused by the low temperatures recorded since mid-January. The drought in the vegetable's largest producing area is the sector's main concern at the moment.
"The plants have had a good vegetative development and completed their cycles. We have had a delay of about 15 days in the harvest compared to last season, but then we started early and with few kilos," said José Antonio Gómez, president of the cooperative Espárrago de Granada. "The frosts took a toll in some earlier plots, but in general terms, we are not talking about significant volumes, since the harvest is running behind schedule."
"This week, temperatures are rising and are expected to exceed 30 ºC at the weekend, which will lead to an acceleration of asparagus growth, but later it will be cold again, so we still don't know what quantities we will be able to count on for Easter, the period when the demand for green asparagus usually peaks. We hope to be able to serve all our customers," said José Antonio.
According to the president of this cooperative from Granada, last year's asparagus harvest in the area was reduced by between 20 and 30% due to the lack of water. "This year we seem to be on the same track. The lack of rain is the biggest concern for the asparagus sector in Granada, as it can have a severe impact on the quality and calibers when temperatures rise, and we could have a shorter season. We hope that this spring will bring us the rainfall that we desperately need, as we have minimal water reserves."
At the moment, the green asparagus available in the European markets comes mainly from Mexico, where, according to José Antonio Gómez, there have also been problems with the production due to the cold. "At the moment, there is very little supply of green asparagus in Europe and, therefore, the demand for the new Spanish production is good."
For more information:
José Antonio Gómez Aguilera
Espárrago de Granada, S.C.A.
T: +34 958513061
M: +34 658770678
[email protected]
http://esparragodegranada.eu/