Despite Production Woes, Spain Anticipates Expanding Organic Exports to China

By Máté Pálfi

Jun. 22, 2023 14:59 UTC

Spain’s oldest organic certification body has signed a deal with its Chinese counterpart to increase Spanish organic exports to the world’s second-largest economy.

The Andalusian Committee of Organic Agriculture (CAAE) signed an agreement with China Organic Food Development and Certification, which the former said would “enable access to this market.”

Juan Manuel Sánchez Adame, managing director of CAAE, said the agreement represents opening a new business avenue for organic producers.

According to the CAAE, China’s organic market has experienced remarkable growth. In the past 15 years, China went from being the twenty-seventh largest consumer of organic foods to the fourth, with a market value exceeding €11.3 billion.

This coincides with rising organic olive cultivation in Spain. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the number of organic olive groves – 256,510 hectares – rose by 16 percent from 2021 to 2022. In 2021, Spain produced about 296,400 tons of organic olives for oil production.

The CAAE predicts demand for organic products in China will continue to rise, with the country’s growing middle class drawn to their traceability and health benefits.

The committee also sees growing interest in healthier fats from China’s younger consumers, further driving the demand for organic olive oil.

“As consumers are more and more concerned about health, the demand for middle and high-end extra virgin olive oil is also increasing,” said Cathy Jiang, general manager of La Vida Mia, an organization that promotes products from Spanish-speaking countries in China.

“This year, we will increase the promotion of Spanish olive oil, hoping to capture more market share,” she added.

According to state-run media, China imports about 92 percent of its olive oil from Spain. Despite all the logistical and macroeconomic challenges of recent years, Spanish olive oil exports to China have increased steadily.

According to trade data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spain exported 42,765 tons of olive oil in all of its fractions to China in 2022, more than double the amount of olive oil shipped from Spain to China just ten years earlier. However, exports fell to 2,994 tons in the first three months of 2023.

While exports are unlikely to rise for a second-consecutive year due to Spain’s poor harvest, Teresa Pérez, general manager of the Spanish Interprofessional Organization of Olive Oil, told local media that producers are determined to maintain their foothold in the lucrative Chinese market.

Despite Production Woes, Spain Anticipates Expanding Organic Exports to China

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