Asparagus growers hoping to overcome flooding troubles ahead of harvest

Asparagus growing in Horowhenua. File photo / Supplied

RNZ

The asparagus harvesting season has just begun, but some growers' fields are still partly underwater from recent flooding.

It's hoped this season will outperform last year's when just a third of the spears were harvested because Covid lockdowns disrupted the restaurant trade right up until Christmas.

Cam Lewis of Horowhenua's Tendertips Asparagus said they cranked up their packhouse last week, but they had to get to the produce first.

"There's still quite a few of our paddocks underwater at the moment, but we're hoping for a good spring," he said.

"Last spring was tough, so we're hopeful that we can get a lot of asparagus out to consumers that have been patiently waiting for it.

"It's normally the sign that spring has arrived when asparagus is on the shelves."

Like growers across the sector, Lewis said chronic labour shortages were taking a toll on productivity and morale.

He said this year's staff shortages had been the worst on record.

"It's been definitely the most challenging season ever in terms of numbers of people," Lewis said.

"We thought last year was hard, with Covid, but it looks like this year's shaping up to be even harder."

Lewis said they were waiting to see whether they would have enough staff to process their produce, but feared they would be running short.

"We're hopeful, but with full employment everywhere, it's hard for Kiwis to decide to leave a full-time job to work for a seasonal one like ours.

"Hopefully a few more backpackers arrive and the government will keep supporting the RSE scheme, but we'll be right, when there's a will, there's a way."

Despite the challenges, all of their suppliers should have asparagus on their shelves by the end of the month, Lewis said.

Meanwhile, one of the country's largest growers, Waikato-based Boyds Asparagus, said this season has started off slowly with wet and cold weather, but was expected to ramp up.

Managing director Andrew Keaney said by Labour Weekend last year, they had stopped cutting 125 hectares of their 180-hectare crop.

He said they had spent the last six months working on a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the seasonal vegetable after research showed many New Zealanders hadn't tried it.

"Some New Zealanders think it's an unusual-looking vegetable, or they don't really know what to do with it," he said.

"We would just encourage people to give it a go. It can be eaten raw, it can be fried on a barbeque, blanched in a pot, or sautéed in a fry pan with a bit of olive oil and a bit of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

"I would argue that it's probably one of the most convenient and versatile vegetables around at this time of the year, so we're encouraging people to give it a go and try different things with it."

Keaney said some consumers grew up with parents that "boiled the living daylights out of our veggies until they were mush".

"I think probably part of the reason that some of the younger generation don't try a lot of the vegetables that are around now, but certainty for me, a quick blanch in the pot and away you go."

- RNZ