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The European Union released its monthly olive oil proÂducÂtion estiÂmates, with Spain leadÂing but falling behind last year’s record harÂvest, while Italy, Greece, and Portugal also showed subÂstanÂtial outÂputs. Spain proÂduced 1,116,171 tons of olive oil by the end of March, with the overÂall yield expected to reach 1,120,000 tons, sigÂnifÂiÂcantly reduced from the preÂviÂous year’s high of 1.77 milÂlion tons, while Italy, Greece, and Portugal also saw increased proÂducÂtion.
The European Union released its monthly olive oil proÂducÂtion estiÂmates and total quanÂtiÂties proÂduced so far, with Spain in the lead but falling behind last year’s record harÂvest and subÂstanÂtial outÂputs delivÂered by Italy, Greece and Portugal.
Spain again tops the list of EU olive oil proÂducÂers, havÂing proÂduced a total of 1,116,171 tons by the end of March. The overÂall yield of the seaÂson is expected to reach 1,120,000 tons, sigÂnifÂiÂcantly reduced as preÂdicted comÂpared with the all-time high yield of 1.77 milÂlion tons of olive oil in the preÂviÂous crop year.
Italy has more than douÂbled its outÂput this seaÂson, reachÂing an estiÂmated aggreÂgate quanÂtity of 361,145 tons in March. The overÂall yield is expected to reach a total of 364,000 tons comÂpared with only 175,000 tons delivÂered in the 2018/19 seaÂson.
In Greece, 262,570 tons of olive oil had been proÂduced by the end of March with an expected overÂall total of 265,000 tons, a quanÂtity someÂwhat lower than the iniÂtial expecÂtaÂtions of 280,000 to 300,000 tons, but subÂstanÂtially improved comÂpared with the disÂmal past seaÂson when only 185,000 tons of olive oil were delivÂered.
Portugal ranks fourth among the EU’s memÂber states with an estiÂmated near-record proÂducÂtion of 130,000 tons comÂpared to 100,000 tons in the camÂpaign of 2018/19. The smaller proÂducÂers Cyprus and France reached a total of 6,991 tons and 5,900 tons of olive oil respecÂtively in the curÂrent crop year.
In terms of olive oil conÂsumpÂtion, Spain is expected to use 550,000 tons for domesÂtic purÂposes, whereas 510,000 tons of olive oil are estiÂmated to be conÂsumed in Italy. Greece and Portugal will likely conÂsume 125,000 tons and 80,000 tons durÂing the curÂrent seaÂson.
The EU also reported on the final stock estiÂmates after milling operÂaÂtions are comÂpleted for the curÂrent crop year, with the stock of Spain reachÂing 600,700 tons and olive oil reserves of Italy and Greece reachÂing 50,000 and 62,700 tons respecÂtively.
By February, another 213,500 tons of olive oil had been withÂdrawn from the European marÂket to be stored for a maxÂiÂmum period of six months under the priÂvate storÂage aid scheme applied by the European Commission to help rebalÂance prices.
On top of that, the European farmÂers’ assoÂciÂaÂtion Copa-Cogeca has warned that the decelÂerÂaÂtion of exports due to the coroÂnÂavirus transÂport restricÂtions could renÂder more quanÂtiÂties of prodÂucts like wine and olive oil idle ahead of the next marÂketÂing seaÂson.