In the Italian region of Campania, the harvesting operations for turnip tops are starting to pick up again; in the retail stores belonging to the various large-scale distribution brands, but also in simple fruit shops, prices for this reference are rising, settling at no less than €2.50 per kilo.
We took stock of the situation with Domenico Nappi, a local entrepreneur who is specialized in the trading of lettuces, escarole and turnip top. "January and February," he says, " have been two critical months for this reference, marked by very low consumption compared to previous years, due to a mild winter, which did not encourage consumption. This was followed by the sharp drop in temperatures since the end of January, and many plots were affected by frosts, which damaged the quality of the product. At the moment, therefore, supply has been greatly reduced, selling prices have increased, and consumption seems to be recovering."
"Since we work mainly with markets in southern Italy, the most frequently sought-after crops are those in bunches of 700/800 grams, placed in crates. The end of the campaign is still a couple of months away. Our expectation for the coming weeks is good, if the weather is favorable, or at least if temperatures don't rise abruptly, which will help us preserve a good market performance."