Domestic Market

Although Australians recently considered asparagus a “gourmet” vegetable and a delicacy to be eaten on special occasions rather than for every day meals, this trend is changing.

Whilst past growth and development of the Australian asparagus industry has been due to healthy export markets, there are many opportunities for expanding the domestic market.

Apparent domestic consumption has increased in recent years due to the increased availability of asparagus and accessibility at supermarket level - however, there is plenty of room for increasing consumption of asparagus. Australian consumption of fresh asparagus is relatively low at 0.3kg per person per year - compared to consumption of fresh asparagus in other countries which have a consumption rate per person per year as follows: Germany 1040g, Switzerland 650g, USA 660g, Japan 360g. (source: International Trade Report, 1998, California Asparagus Commission.)

Through crop manipulation, Australian growers can extend the asparagus season from August through to March. For the remainder of the year, availability of imported asparagus from the USA, China and Thailand helps to keep asparagus front of mind. Although the amount of asparagus Australia imports is relatively small, having asparagus available on the shelves for most of the year has created more awareness and has helped improve domestic sales.

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Copyright© Australian Asparagus Council. Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure that the information on this website is correct and up to date, no representation is made or warranty given (either express or implied) as to the completeness, accuracy or currency of the information that it contains. Last updated August 2007