At the moment, aubergines found in Italy come from two areas. The first one is Sicily, though there is little produce available because of the great temperature changes in February and March. Producer prices for excellent-quality aubergines are of 60-70 cents per kg, i.e. very low. Wholesale prices are €1-1.20, also quite low."
The reason behind these low prices is the second production area - Spain. "Spaniards always influence prices. Almeria auction prices hover between 40 and 50 cents. The produce is not as good as the Italian one, but a lot of it is being imported, thus affecting prices. Wholesale Spanish aubergines cost €0.70-1."