The overall value of globally exported asparagus flatlined via 2.3% gain from $1.41 billion worth of asparagus shipments 5 years earlier in 2017.
Year over year, the dollar value of globally exported asparagus accelerated by 14.5% compared to $1.26 billion during 2020.
The top 5 most lucrative exporters of asparagus are Mexico, Peru, United States of America, Spain, and the Netherlands. Collectively, that quintet of leading suppliers accounted for 82.7% of all asparagus exported in 2021. Such a high percentage indicates a relatively concentrated market of international asparagus sellers.
Applying a continental lens, exporters in North America shipped the highest dollar worth of exported asparagus at $579.8 million or 40.2% of the global total. In second place were shippers in Europe at 30.7% while another 28% of international asparagus sales were sourced from Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Tinier percentages came from Oceania (0.6%) mostly Australia, Asia (0.4%), and Africa (0.06%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 070920 for fresh or chilled asparagus.
Asparagus Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of asparagus during 2021.
- Mexico: US$415.9 million (28.9% of total asparagus exports)
- Peru: $401 million (27.8%)
- United States: $155.8 million (10.8%)
- Spain: $120.3 million (8.3%)
- Netherlands: $98.8 million (6.9%)
- Italy: $58.2 million (4%)
- France: $40.2 million (2.8%)
- Germany: $33.7 million (2.3%)
- Belgium: $29.9 million (2.1%)
- Greece: $28.8 million (2%)
- Hungary: $9.1 million (0.6%)
- Canada: $8.2 million (0.6%)
- Australia: $8.1 million (0.6%)
- United Kingdom: $5.6 million (0.4%)
- Denmark: $5.2 million (0.4%)
The listed 15 countries shipped 98.4% of globally exported asparagus. All told, 72 countries supplied asparagus to the international marketplace in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of asparagus since 2020 were: France (up 55.6%), Germany (up 46.1%), Greece (up 43.1%) and Belgium (up 42.7%).
Australia was the lone major supplier to post a decline in its international sales of asparagus compared to 2020, incurring a -43% reduction.
Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Asparagus
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for asparagus during 2021. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported asparagus and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Mexico: US$415.3 million (net export surplus up 7.5% since 2020)
- Peru: $401 million (up 6.3%)
- Spain: $57.3 million (up 72%)
- Italy: $30.2 million (up 15.2%)
- Greece: $26.7 million (up 42.6%)
- Netherlands: $18.1 million (up 19.8%)
- Hungary: $8.7 million (up 25.1%)
- Thailand: $4.1 million (up 0.8%)
- Ecuador: $1.4 million (up 38.4%)
- Slovakia: $836,000 (up 1,015%)
- China: $592,000 (up 12.3%)
- Morocco: $536,000 (up 2,452%)
- Guatemala: $86,000 (down -24.6%)
- Kenya: $78,000 (up 875%)
- Georgia: $69,000 (up 76.9%)
Mexico and Peru earned the highest surpluses in the international trade of asparagus. The product surpluses confirm both countries’ strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Trade Deficits from Asparagus
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for asparagus during 2021. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported asparagus purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$597.2 million (net export deficit up 3.8% since 2020)
- Germany: -$117.4 million (up 71.6%)
- Canada: -$80.6 million (down -0.6%)
- United Kingdom: -$75.1 million (up 7.7%)
- Switzerland: -$67.9 million (up 26.6%)
- Japan: -$53 million (down -7.6%)
- France: -$36.1 million (up 13.2%)
- Denmark: -$19.6 million (up 89.6%)
- Belgium: -$18.1 million (up 7.2%)
- Austria: -$16.7 million (up 20.7%)
- Sweden: -$16.1 million (up 8.3%)
- Norway: -$11.2 million (up 13.5%)
- Finland: -$11.1 million (up 28.4%)
- South Korea: -$8.4 million (up 18.5%)
- Hong Kong: -$8.3 million (down -7.2%)
Incurring more than a half-billion dollars in red ink, the United States of America posted the highest deficit in the international trade of asparagus. This negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for asparagus-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand from US consumers.
Asparagus Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following companies are also examples of asparagus-trading companies. Their home-country locations are shown within parentheses.
- Alfafood GmbH (Germany)
- Beverages Development Kft (Hungary)
- Camill Alimentos (United States)
- El Corte Ingles SA (Spain)
- International Trading Company (Peru)
- Italy Food Service SRL (Italy)
- JDGC (France)
- Siam Pagoda Group Pty Ltd (Australia)
- Zima Thai Traders (Thailand)
See also Tomatoes Exports by Country, Potatoes Exports by Country, Corn Exports by Country, Top Cucumbers Exporting Countries, Top Lettuce Exports by Country and Top Fresh Spinach Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier information for asparagus. Accessed on September 25, 2022
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 25, 2022
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 25, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 25, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 25, 2022
Wikipedia, Asparagus. Accessed on September 25, 2022
