Hesse's asparagus farmers celebrate a good harvest - but where are the workers?

Hesse's asparagus farmers celebrate a good harvest - but where are the workers?

What will happen in the 2025 asparagus harvest? In Hesse, farmers are drawing a consistently positive conclusion for this year's asparagus season. According to the South German newspaper The weather conditions were pretty optimal this year and there were no market disruptions, which means a positive outcome for producers. The prices for the popular asparagus remained stable compared to the previous year. At the beginning, the price for high-quality asparagus was 21 euros per kilo and later fell to 16 euros. Only the rising costs, for example due to the increased minimum wage, are putting farmers in distress because they can hardly pass them on.

The asparagus harvest usually begins in the second half of April and traditionally ends on June 24th, St. John's Day. However, some farmers also offer their asparagus after this date. Unfortunately, there are problems with direct marketing, especially when it comes to recruiting staff for the sales huts.

The facts about the harvest

The number of asparagus farmers in Hesse has fallen dramatically: from 167 farms in 2012 to just 91 in 2024. This is also reflected in the harvest volumes: While 9,551 tons of asparagus were harvested from 1,830 hectares in 2012, today there are only 6,800 tons from 1,269 hectares. This development is a topic of conversation in the industry, as the quality of the strawberries shows good ripening in polytunnels thanks to cooler corn, which is also a ray of hope for producers.

Another issue that should not go unmentioned is the conditions of seasonal workers. The taz reports that Kateryna Danilova, a social scientist, brings up the exploitation of seasonal workers in Germany. These seasonal workers – primarily from Romania, other Eastern European countries and also from third countries such as India and China – are often exposed to extreme working conditions. They often work up to 14 hours a day, but are only paid for 8 hours. High housing costs are often deducted from wages, further exacerbating their already difficult financial situation.

A look at the conditions for seasonal workers

It's not easy for the harvest workers: high rents and overpriced accommodation are the order of the day. On average, they pay between 18 and 21 euros per day, and in some cases even up to 800 euros per month for a room in a shared apartment. The daily news highlights that around 250,000 harvest workers are needed this season. This puts not only production on the agenda, but also the housing conditions of workers. Improvements can be observed in individual companies, but systematic changes are still pending.

The Construction-Agrar-Environment industrial union has already responded to the precarious conditions and created special offers for seasonal workers, including legal support. Political demands aim to pay minimum wages and cap housing costs.

The cherry harvest in Ockstadt is now proving robust after weather-related difficulties. Despite a rainy start and the plague of hail, the selling price for cherries is currently around 10 euros per kilogram. We can only hope that producers can still do good business here too.