Overview
- The traditional season ends on Johannistag, June 24, but Saxony growers expect to harvest a few days past that date while two large Thuringian farms stopped a few days early.
- Thuringian operators reported a generally good to average season with Spargelhof Kutzleben harvesting about 500 tonnes from roughly 100 hectares this year.
- Early spring night frosts and a recent cool week in Saxony slowed growth at times, producing uneven yields and prompting some farms to keep shop counters open until the end of June.
- Farmers say higher wages for seasonal pickers after the minimum-wage rise and rising energy bills are raising production costs, and AMI data show retail prices of €4.06 to €6.29 for 500 grams of white asparagus.
- Saxony has become a small production region with about 25 farms on 116 hectares compared with roughly 300 hectares in 2016, a trend that adds pressure on local supply and farm viability going forward.