Cheap asparagus from Peru and a high minimum wage in Washington State have been blamed for the decision by two major asparagus processors to close their Washington operations.
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Del Monte Foods has notified the Washington Asparagus Commission that it will stop processing Washington asparagus at its Toppenish plant and plans to shift production to Peru, reported the Associated Press.
Seneca Foods, meanwhile, has written to growers to say the company will stop processing asparagus at its Walla Walla plant, but will leave its Dayton plant open.
The Asparagus Commission estimates the closures will eliminate 2,000 seasonal production and processing jobs. The two plants processed a total of almost 10 million pounds of asparagus last year.
“The industry is going to continue to contract,” Kevin Bouchey, a Toppenish grower and chairman of the commission, was quoted by AP as saying. “The long-term production of asparagus in Washington is very uncertain.”
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