German asparagus production continues downward trend

Despite abundant sunshine in March, the asparagus season got off to a slow start this year in Germany, reports AMI horticultural market analyst Claudio Glaesser. He said persistently cold night temperatures, often accompanied by frost, slowed plant development. “Operations with heated fields and multiple protective layers were at a clear advantage, whereas simply covered areas only began producing marketable volumes in April. Regionally, the season started unevenly – particularly in eastern Germany, where harvesting was delayed but caught up quickly following a pre-Easter shift in weather conditions. Due to the slow development of supply, household purchase volumes in March remained low and clearly below the levels of the previous year, when an early Easter had shifted the focus more strongly toward early harvesting. Throughout April, market penetration also remained below last year’s figures – except in the week leading up to Easter,” Glaesser said. “Demand around Easter was strong across all channels: direct marketing, wholesale markets, and food retail reported solid sales. Even after the holidays, supply remained limited, avoiding any significant market oversupply. Yields increased only gradually, contributing to a stable market situation. Meanwhile, the ongoing decline in asparagus cultivation and young plant establishment is expected to further limit supply in the medium term. Overall, German asparagus production has been on a downward trend for several years, with tangible impacts on the domestic market,” he said.

Asparagus area declining overall but increasing for organic

A total of around 108,100 tons of asparagus were harvested in Germany in 2024, representing a volume down 3% on 2023, according to Destatis. The German statistical office also said in a press release that the productive* cultivated area of asparagus has also shrunk by 3% and, at 19,800 ha last year, was at its lowest level in Germany since 2013. Reporting on the fall in production, public broadcaster Deutsche Welle said: “Asparagus could be the victim of changing tastes and rising costs of fresh produce, as well as farmers giving over some asparagus fields in favor of other crops — as diversifying is seen as one way to combat the ravages of climate change.” Despite the decline, asparagus remained the vegetable with the largest cultivation area in Germany in 2024, followed by onions (17,700 ha) and carrots (13,800 ha). At 22,600 tons, the largest asparagus harvest in 2024 took place in Lower Saxony, followed by Brandenburg (20,200 tons).
Meanwhile, the harvest volume for organic asparagus rose 8.5% year-on-year to about 9,243  tons in 2024 while the productive cultivated area for organic asparagus climbed 7.7% ​​to nearly 1,785 ha. Carrots attracted Germany’s largest area of ​​organic vegetable cultivation, with 3,350 ha, followed by pumpkins, onions, and then asparagus (in terms of yield).

Germany’s asparagus growers positive about outlook overall

Germany will continue to see a further decline in the overall asparagus acreage as long as consumers remain reluctant to buy, says Simon Schumacher, managing director and spokesperson for the Board of Directors of the South German Asparagus and Strawberry Growers Association (VSSE). Schumacher told AW in February that the decline to date, combined with a rather cool spring, had resulted in a market supply that is just sufficient, with more stable prices. “We are aware that the trade (retail) is looking for security of supply and is increasingly favouring and promoting domestic produce in the domestic season. Fortunately, the slight increase in demand for green asparagus is also being brought forward in the trade with Germany as a source, so that some compensation for white asparagus seems possible.” Schumacher said the VSSE is also trying to increase consumer enthusiasm for domestic asparagus, such as with the introduction of the German Asparagus Day, now celebrated each May 5.

Schumacher added that young plants were in short supply throughout Europe. “However, this also shows that replacement and new planting is taking place and that young plant producers are continuing to avoid overproduction. Nevertheless, we will only need a short reaction time to react to a possible increase in demand after the inflation phase, as the structures, logistics and exchanges are well established. In the future, we will see fully or partially automated robots on sustainable, slightly larger farms. This will help to counteract rising prices to some extent and improve competitiveness. The change of government is also seen positively by many farmers and is linked to hopes of an improvement in the production location.
So we are positive,” he said.

Sources include:
https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2025/04/PD25_N015_41.html?templateQueryString=spargel
https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Economic-Sectors-Enterprises/Agriculture-Forestry-Fisheries/Fruit-Vegetables-Horticulture/Tables/1-1-organic-farming.html
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-asparagus-season-shrinking/a-72123100