What is the origin of asparagus?

Asparagus originated from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean and Asia minor. Up to now, there are still wild species in Europe, Asia and North Africa grasslands and river valleys. It has been cultivated for more than 2000 years. It was introduced into America in the 17th century, Japan in the 18th century and China at the beginning of the 20th century. It is cultivated all over the world, with the most in the United States.

The cultivation of asparagus in China began in the Qing Dynasty and has a history of only more than 100 years. It has been sporadically cultivated in the suburbs of major cities in coastal areas, and the local market is fresh. In the 1950s and 1960s, the external sales of asparagus in Taiwan Province increased year by year. In the 1980s, Taiwan's vegetable exports accounted for a decisive position in the total material exports, and the export volume of asparagus was second to none among vegetables. In 1980, Taiwan Province exported 76400 tons of canned asparagus and only 61500 tons of frozen vegetables. Taiwan's exports of canned asparagus account for more than 70% of world trade. After the 1980s, the economic benefits of planting asparagus in Taiwan Province were ignored because of the poor quality of asparagus. As a result, the planting area decreased year by year, and the export volume of canned asparagus was only 12100 tons in 1987, decreasing at an annual rate of 23.1%. As a result, asparagus is in short supply in the international market. Since 1984, this situation has prompted China's Fujian, Henan, Shaanxi, Anhui, Sichuan, Tianjin and other cities to develop asparagus production on a large scale. By the early 1990s, the cultivated area of the country had reached more than 66000 hectares, with an annual output of more than 80, 000 tons of canned goods, making it one of the main vegetable products exported by China to earn foreign exchange. Among them, Shandong Province is the main base of asparagus production, and the annual export of canned asparagus accounts for about 1 of the country's total exports, which plays an important role in the production and export of asparagus in the country. Asparagus in China is mainly sold to the United States, Japan, Europe and Hong Kong, China.

According to the statistics in the early 1980s, the world output of canned asparagus is 200000 tons, and the import and export trade volume is about 90, 000 tons each. China and Spain are the main exporters, accounting for 80% to 90% of the world's exports. The main importers are Western European countries such as Germany and France. Countries such as the United States and Japan gradually reduce production because of the low economic benefits of canned asparagus production. China and Spain are the future leaders of asparagus trade in the world. China's good ecological environment, coupled with the development of the domestic market, the great development of asparagus production is certain. Up to now, asparagus is still the main foreign exchange earning vegetable in China, but it is still a rare vegetable with few sales in the domestic market.

Now Cao County, Heze City, Shandong Province, China is known as the "hometown of asparagus". A grand asparagus festival is held every spring.