Andalusian Olive Oil Exports Rebound After Challenging Harvest

Exports to six of Andalusia’s top 10 olive oil trading partners increased in the first four months of 2021, according to Extenda.
By Daniel Dawson
Jul. 7, 2021 08:51 UTC

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.

See Also:Andalusian Producers Overcome Obstacles to Triumph at 2021 NYIOOC

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.

ProvinceSales Value (MEUR)% Change
Almería1.8+78
Cadíz2.2-4
Córdoba226+54
Granada73+28
Huelva6.8+176
Jaén75+6
Málaga91+2.6
Seville376+15
Source: Extenda

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.

CountryExport Value (MEUR)% Change
Italy222+68
United States151+37
Portugal120+35
France51
Japan29
Australia25.1
China23.9+16
United Kingdom17.7
Canada17+58
Mexico16.3+67
Top 10 Andalusian Olive Oil Export Destinations. Source: Extenda

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.



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