Record EU Olive Oil Production Projected for 2020/21 Crop Year

Olive oil production in the European Union (EU) for the 2020/21 crop year is expected to reach a five-year high of 2.3 million MT, according to Olive Oil Times report on July 09.  Spring rainfall in Spain had led to excellent flowering.  Assuming conditions remained amenable for drupe development, the European Commission (EC) predicted another high yield in the world’s top olive oil producing country.  Spain had produced 1.12 million MT of olive oil in 2019/20.

In contrast, a dry spring in some of Italy’s major producing regions and a heatwave in Greece were likely to lead to smaller harvests.  In the last crop year, the two countries had harvested 365,000 MT and 275,000 MT, respectively.  Portugal was also anticipating a slightly smaller harvest in 2020 than it had in 2019, when the country produced a record 140,500 MT. However, the commission expected the country’s production would continue to increase.  

The commission also estimated that total EU olive oil consumption would increase by 6% in 2020/21.  “An increase in home cooking due to Covid-19 measures led to a rise in retail sales of olive oil, in particular in the EU producing countries, and in the use of olive oil in the food industry (e.g. for canned goods),” the investigators in the report wrote.  “In non-producing EU countries, sales could likely decrease as a result of a lower purchasing power.”