2020 Wasabi Harvest Forecast
The Wasabi Harvest Forecast for 2020 is not good.
At the end of 2019 I was made aware that there would be a shortage of Wasabi (Wasabia japonica) pure product worldwide in 2020.
Oka Wasabi Growers.
The reason I was given at that time was the lack of rain during 2019 in the major Oka Wasabi growing areas in China, Taiwan and Japan. Oka Wasabi is the wasabi that is grown in the ground and is normally used for processing and food flavouring.
There was flooding of the growing areas as well as a number of months where there was not enough rain to keep the wasabi plants alive. The estimates I received about crop losses varied between 30% and 100% dependent who you talked to. Most growers I spoke to told me that this was their worse year ever since they started growing. Some will not be be replanting and will start growing something a bit more resilient. There was one grower who was planning to expand their growing operation significantly, but has now stopped that expansion indefinitely.
Some of the growing community have also noticed that crop yields were decreasing as they were growing wasabi in the same ground for a number of years. Our experience is that Oka Wasabi growers need to change their growing area every 3 years maximum to reduce the chance of encouraging total crop losses.
In addition, Japan is still trying to recover from the Fukushima disaster where the traditional wasabi growing areas were contaminated by radioactive fallout.
Sawa Wasabi Growers
Some of the Sawa Wasabi Growers who were using altered streams and rivers lost some or all of their plants to the floods that engulfed their farms. Some growers report that they will need to repair or replace some of their beds and replant.
The growers who used greenhouse or coverings to protect their plants were a bit better off and had minimal losses.
Overall, the Sawa Wasabi growers lost in the region of 10% to 20% of their crops, but were able to replant quickly.
Through 2019 there were no additions made to the Sawa Wasabi Growers numbers and this will adversely affect the availability of Pure Wasabi in any form for 2020 and 2021.
Conclusion
Due to the amount of time it takes to grow Wasabi from a plantlet (12 – 15 months) there will be a serious shortage of Pure Wasabi in 2020. This will get worse as the year continues. It can be expected that by May 2020 the price of Wasabi will increase by a minimum of 15% and by October/November 2020 it is likely to be 30% higher than current prices.
It will be only at the end of 2021 that supply will allow the prices to fall close to current prices. Until then industrial users will need to place orders (and pay a deposit) well before they require it to ensure they have material for their production requirements.
The world spot market for Pure Wasabi is likely to be brutal until the end of 2021, and buyers need to ensure they have their production forecasts well established.
Recommendations
Industrial users and buyers of 100% Pure Wasabia japonica should place their orders as soon as possible with their current suppliers (or us) both to lock in current prices and reliability of supply. Currently we have both stock and forward harvest projections that will enable us to provide product going forward. This will be supplied on a first come, first served basis. The sooner we have your order in hand the lower your stress levels will be later in the year. 🙂
Contact me at [email protected] to ensure you have a guaranteed supply of 100% Pure Wasabia japonica for your customers and users during 2020 and 2021.
Do it now before it slips your mind and you find that Wasabi supply has dried up.
p.s. Chinese New Year falls on January 25th. This means that for the next 10 -14 days freight movements through Asia slow down and in some places stop completely. You need to take this into consideration when planning your delivery schedule.
Covid-19 Lockdown
The current Covid-19 Worldwide Lockdown has completely disrupted freight deliveries around the world. This coupled with the inability to maintain employment for our employees due to draconian Government Regulations will cause significant shortages into 2022 of Wasabia japonica products.
Wasabi Growers wanted
As you can see from the above more Wasabi Growers are needed around the world to service this rapidly expanding demand for 100% Pure Wasabi products for food, dietary supplements (nutraceutical) and medical uses. Currently demand is growing at 10% plus per year and is expected to double by 2025. Now is the time to get your wasabi farm up and going.
Contact me at [email protected] for more information about wasabi growing. We have 30 years experience growing this plant all over the world and can support you with your wasabi farm.