Italy’s olive oil production to fall by a third

Drought-related problems have led to a decline in Italy’s olive harvest. While olive production has been quite abundant in the center and north of the country, the southern regions, where most of the national olive groves are located, have been hit hardest. The overall decline in production is forecast to be more than 40%.

Preliminary estimates, as reported by Italy’s Gambero Rosso citing industry reports, are around 224 thousand tons, which should be considered the center of a range that ranges from a low of 215 thousand tons to a high of 235 thousand tons. A drop of 32% compared to the last olive oil campaign, which saw Italy ranked fifth in the world ranking.

Data from Puglia, where the crop is estimated to be almost halved from last year, is having a major impact on the harvesting campaign. In this region, which accounts for about a third of the nation’s olive groves, flowering and fruit setting have been very limited this year, as plants have experienced moisture deficits due to little summer rain and high temperatures.

Looking at production at a global level, Italy would prove to be one of the few countries experiencing a downturn, in contrast to the overall 23% increase globally. In fact, the first production estimates for the 2024/2025 campaign point to an increase in global volumes from 2.5 million tons last year. Analysts estimate that volumes for the 2024/25 harvesting campaign will be in line with levels of 3.1 million tons, which is the average of the previous six seasons, however affected by the shortages of the last two years.

According to OleoScope, from January to September this year, Italy reduced olive oil shipments to Russia to 6,000 tons from 8,000 tons a year earlier, in line with the rest of the Mediterranean countries. Tunisia plans to occupy the vacated niche by increasing the share of supplies in the domestic market from 1.4 to 10%.

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Tags: olive oil, Italy