According to estimates published on 10 November by EU farming and agri-cooperative organisations Copa and Cogeca, olive oil production in the 2016-17 marketing year will drop by over 10% in the EU, mainly as a result of poor climatic conditions combined with pest and disease attacks.
Olive oil prices, however, are increasing. André Pinatel, who chairs the Copa-Cogeca working party on this sector says that production is forecast to tumble from 475,000 tonnes to 298,000 tonnes in Italy. Spain is expected to see a 7% drop to 1,378 million tonnes, with prices remaining stable. Production is estimated to fall by over 30% to 3,700 tonnes in France, by 8-10% to some 5,000 tonnes in Croatia and by 20-30% to around 9,000 tonnes in Portugal. In Greece, however, a slight rise is expected, to 290,000 tonnes. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)