Farmers who don’t own a farm shop and don’t set up their own asparagus stands at central locations hardly have a chance to break even as a farmer: This clear commitment to direct sales – and the associated hidden criticism of the prices offered by food retailers – are official on Tuesday the 25th "Asparagus Days Gerauer Land" were opened.

Markus Schug

Correspondent Rhein-Main-Süd.

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Asparagus and strawberry farmer Jörg Hirsch said it was hardly worthwhile to “deliver” the laboriously harvested goods to the cooperative, as was the norm in the past.

He expects the “royal vegetables” to be significantly more expensive by next spring at the latest.

A kilogram of asparagus from the southern Hesse region can currently be purchased for around 15 euros, depending on the variety and class.

However, the price pressure on producers is enormous.

In addition to rising operating costs for fuel and fertilizer, for example, the announced increase in the minimum wage to twelve euros an hour represents an additional burden for many farmers. After all, price increases of 25 to 40 percent cannot simply be passed on to customers.

There are already declines in asparagus farms and the areas they work on across the state of Hesse.

Asparagus tours and dishes to try at home

According to Hirsch, there are currently just under 200 farms nationwide that usually grow asparagus with the help of foils on an area of ​​around 2000 hectares - and last year they harvested a good 9500 tons.

Hotelier Holger Gries from the hotel and restaurant association DEHOGA said at the start of the festival weeks, which lasted until June 24th, that the asparagus days were intended to be "advertising for one's own cause".

After two years of Corona breaks, the program put together for 2022 with "Cultural & Culinary" is comparatively manageable.

However, the offer could certainly be expanded in the short term.

In fact, significantly fewer farmers and restaurateurs took part this time than before.

What exactly can be experienced and when in the individual courtyards and restaurants can be read on the newly designed website at

www.spargeltage.de

.

Among other things, three asparagus tours through the district of Groß-Gerau and dishes to try at home are listed there.

For the asparagus queen Jana D'Addona, who has been crowned since 2019 but has been doomed to inactivity due to the pandemic, it is high time "that there are finally events again".

Unfortunately, the festive "Asparagus Gala" had to be canceled again.

Smaller events are now also possible indoors again, said hotelier Gries, who “despite the war, corona and inflation” does not forget the positive: falling incidence values ​​and a sunny March would have ensured a good start to the 2022 asparagus season.