Netherlands fifth-largest asparagus producer in Europe

© ANP
In 2016, the amount of farmland in the Netherlands used towards the production of asparagus grew by another 6 percent. With a total harvested area of nearly 3 thousand ha in 2015, the Netherlands occupied fifth place in Europe, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports.
In 2016 the agricultural area used to grow asparagus covered 3,790 ha, with a yield of 18.6 thousand tonnes. Germany is the biggest asparagus producer in the EU with an area of 21 thousand ha and a crop yield of 114 thousand tonnes.


Dutch asparagus cultivation mainly in Limburg and Noord-Brabant

Last year, the province of Limburg accounted for 61 percent of all asparagus production in the Netherlands, while Noord-Brabant province held a share of 34 percent. The asparagus harvest is largest in north Limburg and southeast Noord-Brabant. The cultivation area increased by 115 ha in Noord-Brabant and by 112 ha in Limburg. Although asparagus is also grown in other Dutch provinces, production remains limited there.

Asparagus popular in Germany

With a harvested area in excess of 20 thousand ha, Germany was the EU’s top producer of asparagus in 2015, followed by Spain with 11 thousand ha. The Netherlands held fifth place in Europe with nearly 3 thousand ha.

The Netherlands also takes up fifth place with around 17 thousand tonnes of white asparagus (nicknamed “white gold”), while Germany heads the list with 114 thousand tonnes. Asparagus is the most cultivated vegetable crop in Germany and onions rank second. In the Netherlands, onions are by far the most common vegetable crop.

Export and transit trade mainly to European countries

Of the 17.1 million kilos of asparagus produced in the Netherlands in 2015, one-fifth was intended for export. Around half of Dutch asparagus exports goes to Germany, one-fifth to France and one-tenth to Belgium.

The bulk of locally sold asparagus is home-grown. A small share is imported; this mainly concerns asparagus for sale outside the traditional Dutch asparagus season. In 2015, Peru was the main supplier of asparagus with nearly 10 million kilos. France accounted for almost 700 thousand kilos and the United States for almost 600 thousand kilos. Most asparagus grown abroad is re-exported, especially to Germany and Belgium.