What Are the Prospects for Asparagus Farming? A Quick Guide to the Latest Analysis

Asparagus is one of the world's top ten famous vegetables, also known as shidiao bai and longxu cai, and enjoys the reputation of “king of vegetables” on the international market. Asparagus is rich in various amino acids, proteins and vitamins. Asparagus can be considered a world-famous vegetable, with very high nutritional value, and it also has anti-cancer and cancer-fighting effects, and has long been praised by nutrition experts. Now let us take a look at what the prospects for asparagus farming are like!

Market Prospects for Asparagus Farming

Asparagus enjoys the reputation of “king of vegetables” on the international market. Asparagus is rich in various amino acids, proteins and vitamins, and their content is higher than that of ordinary fruits and vegetables, especially the asparagine and trace elements such as selenium, molybdenum, chromium and manganese in asparagus, which have the effect of regulating body metabolism and improving body immunity, and have a strong inhibitory effect and pharmacological effect in the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure, heart disease, leukemia, blood cancer, edema, cystitis and so on.

According to research by the International Association of Cancer Patients, asparagus can normalize cell growth and has the function of preventing the spread of cancer cells. When used as an auxiliary treatment for tumor diseases, it should be eaten every day to be effective. Asparagus has become one of the health-care vegetables, which is an important reason why it can be planted on a large scale around the world and sell well without decline.

Asparagus has a delicious and aromatic flavor, and its dietary fiber is soft and tasty, which can increase appetite and help digestion.

Famous asparagus dishes include “Fresh Mushrooms with Longxu”, “Stir-Fried Asparagus”, “Shrimp with Asparagus”, “Sliced Pork with Asparagus”, “Fried Eggs with Asparagus”, “Sweet and Sour Asparagus Slices”, “Braised Scallops with Asparagus”, and “Abalone Soup with Asparagus”.

Development Trends in Asparagus Farming

As the world's largest asparagus-growing country, China's asparagus area was 100,000 hectares in 2002. Between 2003 and 2005, it decreased to 60,000 hectares because of “SARS” and natural disasters. As of January 2009, China's asparagus area had only recovered to about 80,000 hectares, and with this global financial crisis, China's existing asparagus area may decrease again by about 1/3.

Analysis of the future prospects for asparagus. In 2009, China's asparagus area may decrease by 1/3, or more. With the gradual recovery of the global economy, asparagus after 2010 will enter a new golden period. After the economic recovery, the area has decreased a great deal, so prices are bound to rise. It is expected that this golden period will begin in 2010 and continue until after 2015.

Notes on Asparagus Farming

1. For small-area planting, green asparagus should be the main focus, so that the domestic market can provide a guarantee.

2. For large-area planting of more than 500 mu, whether white asparagus or green asparagus, there needs to be a processing enterprise purchasing it as backing, and it should be no more than 600 km from the processing factory, to facilitate purchasing and transport.

3. Suitable climate and soil. The climate conditions require suitable temperatures and not much rainfall. In China, asparagus can be grown from Guangdong and Fujian in the south to Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other places in the north. However, the south has more rainfall, and high temperatures and humidity make diseases more likely to occur, increasing the difficulty of management, so the further north you go, the less rainfall there is, the milder the diseases are, and the easier management becomes. But the south has a longer growth period and higher yields. The further north you go, the shorter the growth period and the lower the yields. Soil conditions are not strict; sandy loam is most suitable, followed by sandy soil and heavy loam, which can also be planted, but cultivation techniques need to be improved.

4. There must be a certain planting scale and cultivation techniques. There must be many growers, with a minimum scale of more than 500 mu, otherwise the processing factory cannot purchase the crop, and there must be technicians to guide the cultivation process in order to grow it well. If it is very close to the processing factory, a smaller scale does not matter, but without technical guidance it still will not work. Only in this way can high quality and high yields be ensured, market competitiveness be achieved, and good returns be obtained.