Asparagus is part of spring in the Marchfeld, like the apricot in the Wachau. However, the former is already being harvested. The “Krone” was a guest at a leading asparagus company in Austria. The company in Mannsdorf in the Gänserndorf district is managed by a woman who has asserted herself in a male domain.
Especially in times of war and refugee movements, the topic of migration is increasingly coming into focus again. The example of the Kurd Birinici Sulzmann shows how active integration can work. In the 1990s, she came to Austria with her family from Turkey as a young woman. In order to earn money, she first worked as a kitchen assistant and later as a field worker. She met her husband, Johannes Sulzmann, by chance. The Sulzmann family has been one of the leading asparagus farmers in Austria for more than 50 years. And for several years now, it has been the Kurdish woman Brinici who has been running the business.Technical innovation through foil tunnelsIn the process, she also ensured technical innovations in the traditional business. She was the first farmer to introduce the so-called foil tunnel. Through greenhouse-like tunnels, the asparagus cultivation can be promoted in the fields in such a protected way that the harvest can start as early as the end of March. “Due to the ever-increasing effects of the sun in spring, the temperature in the tunnels and also in the ground rises. This allows the asparagus to grow and be harvested faster,” Sulzmann reveals her recipe for success. The vegetables are then brought from the field to the farm shop in just 60 minutes. The white gold passes through nine hands before it can be handed over to the customer. A total of 2,700 tons of asparagus are produced nationwide every year, and almost as much is imported from abroad.
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