Cauliflowers are original from Asia, where they are known for many centuries. However, their spreading to other continents did not take place until the XVIIIth century. At present it is mainly cultivated in Asia, and the main producing countries are India, China, Italy and France.

Cauliflowers are original from the Eastern Mediterranean sea, specifically from the countries of the Near East (Asia Minor, Lebanon, Syria, etc.). It is a very old culture; the Egyptians already produced it in IV B.C. Nevertheless, it was not until the XVIIIth century when its culture spreaded. This vegetable is mainly produced in Asia, accounting for 75% of the world production.

The FAO gathers the production, export and import data of cauliflowers and broccolis together. The main producing countries are India, China, Italy and France.

The production by continents is the following:

Continent	Thousand tons	%
Africa	235	1
Asia	10,565	75
Europe	2,201	16
North America	549	4
Oceania	220	2
South America	70	1
Total	13,840	100

Source: Fresh Produce Desk Book (1999)

The 10 main producing countries are:

Country	Thousand tons
India	5,000
China	4,382
Italy	528
France	500
Spain	352
The United States	294
Poland	286
The United Kingdom	219
Pakistan	189
Germany	157

Source: FAO Production Yearbook, 2000

The 10 main exporters are:

Country	Thousand tons
France	200
Spain	197
The United States	86
Italy	81
Mexico	54
Guatemala	31
Australia	29
Jordan	20
China	16
Belgium-Luxembourg	13

Source: FAO Trade Yearbook, 1999

The 10 main import countries are:

Country	Thousand tons
The United Kingdom	105
Germany	88
Canada	40
France	39
The Netherlands	35
China	29
Belgium-Luxembourg	22
Malaysia	18
Italy	12
Singapur	11

Source: FAO Trade Yearbook, 1999