Naturally, this includes the olive and olive oil sectors. Solutions mentioned here and elsewhere include increased branding (vs. bulk sales), promotion of PDO products, and links to agrotourism ventures.
"Seven companies in Greece that produce table olives and extra virgin and virgin olive oil were the first in the country to display a 'Greek Mark' on their labeling, part of a project to distinguish Greek products in foreign markets."
This is an interesting summary of many of the topics covered at the recent conference at Yale School of Public Health, which convened a committee to plan a new olive institute at this prestigious American university.
The IOC reports on provisional data for global olive oil production for the 2017/18 crop year, with 3,315,000 metric tons produced overall, which is a 28% increase compared to the previous crop year, and a 9% consumption increase. The major producing countries for 2017/18 were Spain (1,256,200 metric tons), Italy (428,900), Greece (346,000), Tunisia (280,000), Turkey (263,000), Morocco (140,000), and Portugal (134,800), according to figures provided by each country. Except for Spain, whose production had fallen by 2.7%, each of these countries enjoyed a significant increase in production compared to the previous year, although the increase varied from 27% in Morocco to 180% in Tunisia. “According to the official country data and the estimates of the IOC Executive Secretariat, world production in 2018/19 is estimated at around 3 064 000 t, which would be a decrease of approximately 7.6% compared to the previous year. Consumption is expected at 2 916 500 t…. At this point in the year it is still too early to judge the accuracy of these estimates and the figures that the Council of Members will examine at the end of November will be more solid, unless exceptional weather conditions intervene.” Specifically, these are the current forecasts for major producing countries: Spain, 1,550,000 metric tons; Italy, 270,000; Greece, 240,000; Turkey, 183,000; Morocco, 145,000; Portugal, 130,000; Tunisia, 120,000. For table olives, “world production for the 2018/19 crop year is estimated at 2 735 500 t, a 7% decrease compared to the previous crop year.” Tables provide an overview of imports of olive oil and table olives during most of the 2017/18 crop year, and graphs show major producer countries’ olive oil price fluctuations over the last few years.
This is Daniel Dawson's summary for Olive Oil Times of the International Olive Council newsletter I also summarized a bit differently above.
Compared to last year, the Greek olive harvest is "expected to be slimmer mainly due to the production cycle of the olive trees, and the olive fruit fly has again made its presence felt in many areas of the country." However, some growers are more hopeful than others; the situation is not uniform throughout the country.
As Daniel Dawson writes, "The conference will gather industry members from an array of disciplines to plan the formation of an olive oil think tank."
As Costas Vasilopoulos writes for Olive Oil Times in his summary of some of the benefits of the new deal, "By discarding its own labeling rules and by adopting the rules of the IOC, Japan will make it a lot easier for bottlers and exporters to send their olive oils to this part of the Far East.... The Office for Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy in Tokyo told us that they foresee an indirect benefit for olive oil from the opening of the Japanese market to EU products, which will prompt consumers to opt for more products from the EU member states."
This edition of the International Olive Council’s (IOC’s) Market Newsletter provides an overview of the IOC’s upcoming activities and meetings, including some leading up to World Olive Day on November 22. For example, the IOC’s Statistics Working Group will meet October 1 to discuss estimates for the upcoming and past harvest years, among other topics. Olive oil chemistry and standardization issues, categories, and debates will be addressed at a number of meetings. The newsletter also provides an overview of olive oil trade from October 2017 to June 2018 (and table olives during a similar period), noting a 29% increase of olive oil imports into Brazil and a 98% increase in imports into the European Union from outside the EU, mainly from Tunisia. Changes in producer prices in major olive oil producing countries are also summarized, with significant reductions compared to the same time last year (26-27% less for Greece, Italy, and Spain, 18% less in Tunisia) and considerably higher prices in Italy than in the other three.
"Six months after the new rule banning refillable bottles, the restaurants who apply it are still an exception." However, the owner of one exception emphasizes the important goal of the law.
"The National Interbranch Olive Oil Association unveiled a strategy to create a stable environment and boost exports."
Vassilleios Zampounis's first predictions of how much olive oil there will be in the next harvest year, starting this fall, on his Olive News website.
At the 107th session of the International Olive Council (IOC) Council of Members in Buenos Aires (Argentina) from June 18-21, the council discussed updated data on olive oil and table olives for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 crop years (provided here for olive oil). After the council meeting, the IOC and “the Argentine authorities held an international seminar on the olive oil sector in the Americas.” After summarizing what was covered there, the newsletter goes on to discuss world trade in olive oil and table olives, noting changes in imports in major countries from October through April, including a 29% increase of olive oil imports in Brazil, but a 17% decrease of imports in Australia. The newsletter ends with a discussion of olive oil producer price changes in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Tunisia, where prices are all considerably lower than they were a year ago (28-31% lower in the European countries, 18% lower in Tunisia). Prices in Italy and especially Tunisia have been relatively stable in recent weeks, with a slight increase lately in Italy, while prices in Spain and Greece had been falling, then increased a bit in Spain while stabilizing in Greece, according to an IOC chart in the newsletter.
Greek scientists in Greece and at Yale University "conducted a study in which they propose measures to advance sustainable olive oil production and advertise the nutritional value of olive oil products, as well as for the creation of a park and museum on the subject in the town" of Delphi, and both Greek officials and Yale University support the proposal.
The International Olive Council's Market Newsletter for April provided updated statistics for olive oil and table olive production in the 2017/18 crop year, mentioned an upcoming international seminar on the Olive Sector in the Americas (June 22, Buenos Aires), discussed promotion campaigns in China and Australia, and offered an overview of world trade in olive oil and table olives, as well as recent trends in producer prices. One noteworthy statistic: "World production (Graph I) for this campaign was estimated in November 2017 at 2 988 500 t, but according to the most recent country figures received, production stands at around 3 271 000 t, which is a 27% increase (+697 000 t) compared to the previous crop year."
A new society has been established in Greece to support development, promotion, collaboration, and education "to improve the prospects of the Greek olive sector, while shaping a better environment for the flagship products of Greece: olive oil and table olives."
The International Olive Council’s (IOC’s) Market Newsletter for May 2018 opens with a focus on olive and olive oil production, harvesting, consumption, exports, and varieties in Argentina, which currently holds the IOC presidency and will host the IOC’s session of the Council of Members June 18-21. The newsletter then provides an overview of world trade in olive oil and table olives. It discusses olive oil imports in 8 major markets this harvest year, with a significant increase in Brazil (21%), a major decrease in Australia (19%), and smaller changes in other countries. Table olive imports had mainly modest changes. Producer prices for extra virgin olive oil are more than 30% lower than the same time last year in Greece, Italy, and Spain, and down 19% in Tunisia.
More good news about olive oil: it is good for the environment as well as for human health, because olive trees absorb a lot of carbon dioxide.
At the 51st meeting of the Advisory Committee of the International Olive Council (IOC), "the Advisory Committee addressed a number of questions and reaffirmed the validity of the panel test for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils, calling for its reinforced application and protection from false reports which helped neither the sector nor the Organisation."
A Greek professor’s invention helps olive farmers decide the best time to harvest their olives to optimize the health benefits and quantity of their olive oil.
