While the climate change and drought problem negatively affect Spain, the world’s largest olive producer, record production is expected in olive cultivation in Turkey this year. In Spain, where the olive harvest has begun, cooperatives and agricultural organizations related to the sector announced that it will be the lowest production of the last 10 years.
Better Harvest in Turkey
Olive sector strategic consultant Juan Vilar said in a statement to the Spanish press that a decrease of at least 8 percent is expected in olive oil production worldwide, with the only exception being Turkey, which is expected to have a better harvest than last year. Experts also stressed that Turkey is expected to produce between 300 thousand and 350 thousand tons of olive oil by having a record year. Turkey produced 236 thousand tons of olive oil in 2021, an increase of 35 percent compared to the previous year. Olive oil production, which was 1.4 million tons last year, is expected to be between 600 thousand and 800 thousand tons this year in Spain, which is expected to decrease by at least 50 percent according to the report. Spanish olive growers experienced a year similar to the crisis experienced in 2012, when 620.000 tons of olive oil was produced. It was noted that olive oil production in the country’s leading olive sector in the southern region of Jaen, which was 499 thousand 796 tons last year, will decrease to 230 thousand this year. Cristobal Cano, the general secretary of the Andalusian Small Agricultural Organizations Association, said that they will have the worst period in olive oil production in at least the last 10 years and they are concerned about the permanent effects of climate change and drought problem.