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Spain’s olive oil proÂducÂtion and exports have increased, with nearly 760,000 tons of olive oil proÂduced by the end of December, and a record 237,000 tons exported in the first quarÂter of the 2013/14 seaÂson. The region of Andalusia accounted for about 78 perÂcent of Spain’s total proÂducÂtion, with Jaén alone delivÂerÂing a third of the Spanish total, and domesÂtic sales are up two perÂcent comÂpared to the same period last seaÂson.
Olive oil proÂducÂtion and exports are both back up in Spain, accordÂing to new figÂures for last October to December, the first quarÂter of the 2013/14 olive seaÂson.
Nearly 760,000 tons of olive oil had been proÂduced by the end of December, already well above the full year total of 618,000 tons for 2012/13, when unfaÂvorÂable weather took a heavy toll, but under the 844,000 tons proÂduced in the first three months of 2011/12, which was an all-time high proÂducÂtion year.
By the end of last December nearly 4 milÂlion tons of olives had been harÂvested and conÂverted into olive oil with an averÂage yield of 19.07 perÂcent, two points down on last seaÂson, and carÂryÂover stocks stood at 720,900 tons, comÂpared to 807,400 tons at the end of December 2012.
Jaén made a third of Spanish total to December
The region of Andalusia accounted for about 595,000 tons — or about 78 perÂcent — of Spain’s total proÂducÂtion to last December and within it, the province of Jaén alone delivÂered a third of the Spanish total, with just under 249,000 tons, folÂlowed by Córdoba with nearly 154,000 tons.
Record exports in first quarÂter
The first olive oil marÂket report by Spain’s new Food Chain Information Agency (AICA for its iniÂtials in Spanish), also highÂlights that the 237,000 ton total in exports for October-December was a record, though the figÂure for December is still proÂviÂsional.
AICA, into which the Spanish Olive Oil Agency (AAO) was subÂsumed, said the figÂure was a third higher than the same time last year and about a quarÂter up on the averÂage for the preÂviÂous four seaÂsons.
Domestic sales are up two perÂcent on the same period last seaÂson, though this was largely thanks to an above-averÂage October. And imports totaled 21,000 tons, comÂpared to 22,900 tons at the same time last seaÂson and 12,300 tons in 2011/12.
Table olives
Table olive proÂducÂtion is up 14 perÂcent on the same period last seaÂson based on a proÂviÂsional total of 556,0480 tons at end December, but total sales were down a tenth on last seaÂson.