As the traditional asparagus season begins in the UK, figures from the UN Food and Agriculture Association reveal Germany is now the EU’s largest asparagus producer; the asparagus crop grew by 12 per cent in Germany between 2010 and 2011. German producers grew a total of 103,457 tonnes of the vegetable last year.

Although traditionally Spain and France were the EU’s top growers, production has declined in recent years, whereas Germany has seen a boom. Commercial asparagus growing is also rising in the UK.

German asparagus production has increased by 77 per cent since the 2000 season, whereas Spanish production has dropped by 25 per cent and French production by 40 per cent over the same period. UK producers only grow around 6,000 tonnes of the crop each year.  

China and Peru are the only larger producers of asparagus globally, though concerns have been raised about the crop’s toll on water resources in regions of Peru where it is grown. Fresh asparagus produced for export in Peru reportedly uses 35 per cent of available water resources in growing regions.

This year, British asparagus growers said that unseasonably warm weather in March had led to crops ripening two to four weeks ahead of schedule. The vegetable has seen year on year production increases in the UK, where domestic consumption is healthy.

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