21 August 2015

Welcome to the first blog by the Global Plant Genetics team. We are going to post blogs on a regular basis about a range of topics involving our favourite crops. We will aim to make them relevant and enjoyable. We will welcome comments, questions and further feedback. We had a number of subjects in mind when choosing our first post and it was difficult to opt for just one. In the end, we have chosen asparagus, if nothing more than we are starting alphabetically. We very much look forward to engaging with you and please don’t forget to let us know what you think.

I was asked earlier today if I could help source white asparagus from the Southern Hemisphere to be imported closer to home. The catch being that it had to be from a country with no trade restrictions into this particular market. After a bit of research, the long list of countries became a shortlist of “ONE”! I made contact with a few people in the country only to find out that they grow absolutely no white asparagus at all there… As a result I could only tell my contact “sorry but I can’t help…….”

This got me thinking about preferences for specific types of asparagus and how these preferences are generally governed by nationality and tradition.

In the UK for example, more than 99% of the asparagus consumed in the country is of the green type. Indeed I would venture to say that a significant proportion of the population would not know that other colours even exist. The same would be true of white asparagus in some other countries.

It does mean that there is a significant opportunity to introduce new types of asparagus into new markets. However this is not an easy process and it is certainly one that requires patience.

Overall there are approximately 200.000 hectares of asparagus cultivated across the world and on the last estimations, just over half of this was in green asparagus. The general trend over the past 10-20 years has been for an increase in the green type of the vegetable. This has been for a number of reasons but is mainly driven by consumer demand. Green asparagus requires much less kitchen preparation than its white counterpart. As a result, it is gaining in popularity across the masses, particularly with younger generations of shoppers and cooks now emerging.

A case in point here is Germany. It is one of the world’s largest producers of asparagus with approximately 1/8 of the total world planted area within the country. More than 95% of production is of the white variety but with an aging population, we might have to see a new green revolution for the popularity of the vegetable to continue. Watch this space….

All of this has been without even mentioning purple asparagus. This type of asparagus is generally sweeter and more tender than its green and white counterparts, so don’t miss out if you see it for sale.

Whatever your preference, asparagus of any colour is something that should not be missed, so enjoy it and share your views with us.

We very much look forward to hearing from you.