Overview
- BVEO’s Hans Lehar says larger quantities should reach markets from early April after initial pickings in the Rheinebene, Nordbaden and Lower Saxony.
- In North Rhine-Westphalia, adviser Ralf Große Dankbar expects many fields to be ready by Easter if frost stays away and sunshine holds.
- Growers are currently harvesting primarily from heated or protected cultivation, with unheated fields set to follow as temperatures rise.
- Producers around Beelitz anticipate about €12–€15 per kilo in the week before Easter, easing to roughly €8 during the main season.
- Rising labor costs tied to a higher minimum wage are pushing farms toward mechanization, while NRW’s season opens officially on April 9 and the traditional last harvest is on June 24.