"Currently prices hover around €5.4-6.5 ex works for both smooth and curly parsley. Demand is constant both in Italy and Europe and at the moment, there is a lot of produce available, even though we expect prices to rise towards Easter."
The main destination markets are Germany and North-European countries, and parsley is mainly cultivated in Tuscany, Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Campania and Puglia. "In 2012, there were almost a thousand ha."
There is little competition in autumn-winter, even from Turkey or Spain, because of the better quality of the Italian produce. "Prices depend on the weather, as it can easily become really cheap or extremely expensive."
Parsley is a very rustic plant and it grows well between 16-20°C. There are two types: smooth (e.g. Gigante d'Italia), which is very popular in Italy, and curly, which is mainly exported.
In Puglia plants are usually transplanted 45-55 days after sowing in polystyrene seedbeds to facilitate germination. "Once the root system is good, plants are transferred to open fields, where there are around 65,000-70,000 plants per hectare."
The main problems are due to freezes, excessive humidity or waterlogging. Weeding is still carried out by hand because "hebicides all have downsides. We do hope that pharmaceutical companies will come up with a solution though."
Parsley is usually sold in bunches, whereas abroad they prefer either 150-200 g bunches, 400-500 g bunches in 5 kg crates or loose. Recently, trays are getting more popular as well as pots, so that parsley can be transplanted at home. It is also available dried or frozen.
"Parsley is ideal to be eaten fresh to fully enjoy its aroma. That is why it is usually added last when preparing dishes."