In Italy, cucumbers are mainly cultivated in Sicily (September-May) and central-northern Italy (May-October).
This vegetable is not very popular in our country, while it is very much appreciated abroad and in Northern (The Netherlands, Finland, Germany) and Eastern Europe (Slovenia, Croatia and Russia) and Greece in particular.
Below charts in Italian:
Main European producers in 2012: the first 5 countries (Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Poland and The Netherlands) represent 67% of the total
Click here to enlarge.
Spain cultivated three times as many cucumbers as Italy and they are mainly exported to Germany and The Netherlands.
European cucumber production trend (2010-2011-2012). Main countries and total (in tons)
| Continent/Country | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Europe | 5,300,576 | 5,575,386 | 5,497,171 |
| Russian Federation | 1,161,865 | 1,202,360 | 1,281,788 |
| Ukraine | 860,100 | 965,900 | 1,020,600 |
| Spain | 666,274 | 720,198 | 713,200 |
| Poland | 442,212 | 510,892 | 520,868 |
| Netherlands | 435,000 | 430,000 | 410,000 |
| Germany | 242,818 | 249,607 | 244,347 |
| Belarus | 325,100 | 250,340 | 189,416 |
| Romania | 172,059 | 195,855 | 158,855 |
| Greece | 103,600 | 174,700 | 141,800 |
| France | 141,084 | 134,891 | 135,489 |
| Albania | 68,959 | 72,000 | 74,000 |
| Austria | 40,939 | 45,393 | 46,473 |
| Finland | 42,571 | 47,750 | 43,136 |
| Bulgaria | 65,668 | 58,852 | 37,961 |
| Italy | 63,844 | 33,755 | 25,997 |
"This year, volumes were abundant while demand was rather slow, so prices dropped," explained a Sicilian producer.
In addition, it must be reported how the Italian produce is affected by competition from Spain and The Netherlands from March onwards.
These two countries have also harvested early in 2014, thanks to a particularly mild weather. This in turns means that companies will probably not increase cultivated areas, and so the negative trend will continue.
Italy: cultivated hectares in 2010-2011-2012
"Varietal innovation is focusing on cultivars that are resistant to plant-eating insects and with a sweet taste. In addition to wooden and CPR crates, packets are increasingly oriented towards single-portions."