Andalusian Olive Oil Exports Rebound After Challenging Harvest

Andalusian olive oil exports reached €852 million in the first four months of 2021, according to data collected by the Andalusian government’s office of exports and foreign investment (Extenda).

Representing an increase of 22.5 percent compared with the previous year, Andalusian producers are starting to reap the rewards of a challenging crop year.

Olive oil is one of the main ambassadors of Andalusia in the world. It is a product of excellence, with a consolidated position abroad, which will again gain momentum in 2021.– Arturo Bernal, CEO, Extenda

The autonomous community was initially estimated to produce almost 1.4 million tons, but this was reduced to 1.1 million after the hot and dry autumn followed by a record-breaking cold winter took its toll on the groves.

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Along with quantity, Extenda emphasized that 63 percent of the olive oil exported in the first four months of 2021 corresponded with the “extra virgin” category, demonstrating “the commitment of companies in the sector to launch abroad products of the highest quality.”

In the first four months of 2021, 75 percent of all Spanish exports by value came from Andalusia.

“Olive oil is one of the main ambassadors of Andalusia in the world,” Arturo Bernal, the CEO of Extenda, said. “It is a product of excellence, with a consolidated position abroad, which will again gain momentum in 2021, contributing in an outstanding way to the reactivation of Andalusian exports and recovering the path of growth.”

Partially buoyed by increasing shipments of olive oil abroad, Extenda reported that total exports in the first four months of 2021 from the autonomous community hit record highs in terms of total value and profit.

“[These figures] are further proof of the strength of Andalusian agribusiness, a strategic sector for Andalusia, which has once again recorded record figures in this period,” Bernal said.

After a challenging year marked by both climatic uncertainties and the Covid-19 pandemic, data from Extenda showed that the olive oil sector across the autonomous community had rebounded.

In the first four months of 2021, 392 companies exported olive oil abroad, an increase of nearly 10 percent. Of these, 257 companies have continuously exported olive oil for more than four years.

Furthermore, seven of Andalusia’s eight provinces experienced significant growth in their olive oil sales in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period in 2021.

Province	Sales Value (MEUR)	% Change
Almería	1.8	+78
Cadíz	2.2	-4
Córdoba	226	+54
Granada	73	+28
Huelva	6.8	+176
Jaén	75	+6
Málaga	91	+2.6
Seville	376	+15

Seville saw the most significant increase in sales (in terms of value), while five total provinces experienced double-digit sales growth, in terms of percentage.

Cadíz was the only province that experienced a decrease in sales in the first four months of 2021.

Andalusian exporters also considerably strengthened their market positions in six of the autonomous community’s top 10 olive oil trade partners. Exports to the top two destinations – Italy and the United States – increased substantially.

Country	Export Value (MEUR)	% Change
Italy	222	+68
United States	151	+37
Portugal	120	+35
France	51	–
Japan	29	–
Australia	25.1	–
China	23.9	+16
United Kingdom	17.7	–
Canada	17	+58
Mexico	16.3	+67

The increase to the U.S. was especially notable as it took place before the 25-percent tariff imposed on individually-packaged Spanish olive oil imports was suspended indefinitely back in March.

Outside of Andalusia’s top 10 olive oil trading partners, Extenda also noted that exports to Saudi Arabia, India and Ecuador enjoyed double-digit growth.

The news will come as a pleasant surprise to Spanish producers, many of whom had to search for new markets after the U.S. tariffs led to substantial declines in olive oil sales over the past year and a half.

• Extenda

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