"The National Interbranch Olive Oil Association unveiled a strategy to create a stable environment and boost exports."
Vassilleios Zampounis's first predictions of how much olive oil there will be in the next harvest year, starting this fall, on his Olive News website.
At the 107th session of the International Olive Council (IOC) Council of Members in Buenos Aires (Argentina) from June 18-21, the council discussed updated data on olive oil and table olives for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 crop years (provided here for olive oil). After the council meeting, the IOC and “the Argentine authorities held an international seminar on the olive oil sector in the Americas.” After summarizing what was covered there, the newsletter goes on to discuss world trade in olive oil and table olives, noting changes in imports in major countries from October through April, including a 29% increase of olive oil imports in Brazil, but a 17% decrease of imports in Australia. The newsletter ends with a discussion of olive oil producer price changes in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Tunisia, where prices are all considerably lower than they were a year ago (28-31% lower in the European countries, 18% lower in Tunisia). Prices in Italy and especially Tunisia have been relatively stable in recent weeks, with a slight increase lately in Italy, while prices in Spain and Greece had been falling, then increased a bit in Spain while stabilizing in Greece, according to an IOC chart in the newsletter.
Greek scientists in Greece and at Yale University "conducted a study in which they propose measures to advance sustainable olive oil production and advertise the nutritional value of olive oil products, as well as for the creation of a park and museum on the subject in the town" of Delphi, and both Greek officials and Yale University support the proposal.
The International Olive Council's Market Newsletter for April provided updated statistics for olive oil and table olive production in the 2017/18 crop year, mentioned an upcoming international seminar on the Olive Sector in the Americas (June 22, Buenos Aires), discussed promotion campaigns in China and Australia, and offered an overview of world trade in olive oil and table olives, as well as recent trends in producer prices. One noteworthy statistic: "World production (Graph I) for this campaign was estimated in November 2017 at 2 988 500 t, but according to the most recent country figures received, production stands at around 3 271 000 t, which is a 27% increase (+697 000 t) compared to the previous crop year."
A new society has been established in Greece to support development, promotion, collaboration, and education "to improve the prospects of the Greek olive sector, while shaping a better environment for the flagship products of Greece: olive oil and table olives."
The International Olive Council’s (IOC’s) Market Newsletter for May 2018 opens with a focus on olive and olive oil production, harvesting, consumption, exports, and varieties in Argentina, which currently holds the IOC presidency and will host the IOC’s session of the Council of Members June 18-21. The newsletter then provides an overview of world trade in olive oil and table olives. It discusses olive oil imports in 8 major markets this harvest year, with a significant increase in Brazil (21%), a major decrease in Australia (19%), and smaller changes in other countries. Table olive imports had mainly modest changes. Producer prices for extra virgin olive oil are more than 30% lower than the same time last year in Greece, Italy, and Spain, and down 19% in Tunisia.
More good news about olive oil: it is good for the environment as well as for human health, because olive trees absorb a lot of carbon dioxide.
At the 51st meeting of the Advisory Committee of the International Olive Council (IOC), "the Advisory Committee addressed a number of questions and reaffirmed the validity of the panel test for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils, calling for its reinforced application and protection from false reports which helped neither the sector nor the Organisation."
A Greek professor’s invention helps olive farmers decide the best time to harvest their olives to optimize the health benefits and quantity of their olive oil.
The International Olive Council (IOC) discusses worldwide olive oil production and consumption trends.
The Greek Ministry of Agriculture and Food has notified regional and local authorities about the outbreak in Spain, and vigilance is necessary in Greece.
Following a discussion of historical and current olive and olive oil production in Jordan, the newsletter continues to a discussion of olive oil and olive imports into selected countries from September or October to January and concludes with a summary of olive oil producer price trends in major producing countries. Extra virgin olive oil producer prices decreased in Spain and Greece over the last few weeks and remained stable in Italy, with prices in all three countries (especially Italy) lower than during the same period last year.
The story of the Pierrakos family, Greek immigrants to the USA who dedicated themselves to producing and bottling high quality 100% Greek extra virgin olive oil before many Greeks had started doing that.
The International Olive Council’s February Market Newsletter opens with a spotlight on the Japanese olive oil market, noting growth in its import market since 1991 and in consumption since 1997 and discussing Japanese olive oil production, imports, consumption, knowledge, and interest in quality. (Only 1% of the olive oil imported into Japan comes from Greece.) The newsletter then turns to worldwide trade in olive oil and table olives, noting slight increases and larger decreases in imports of olive oil and olive pomace oil from October to December 2017 in several key countries, and a 40% increase in imports into the EU, especially from Tunisia, Argentina, and Morocco. Table olive imports also fell in several countries. Recently, producer prices for olive oil decreased slightly in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Tunisia, with the first three countries’ prices all lower than a year ago (especially Italy’s).
This is a summary of an in-depth study of olive oil in the American market. The study was drafted by the Greek Embassy's Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs.
As Isabel Putinja write for Olive Oil Times, "Makri is an indigenous Greek olive variety cultivated in Alexandroupoli in northeastern Greece close to the border with Turkey, a region located in the western part of the geographical and historical region known as Thrace. An application was submitted to the European Commission on January 11 to include the Greek olive variety “Elaiolado Makris” (also often called “Makri”) on the EU’s list of food products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status."
As Costas Vasilopoulos writes for Olive Oil Times, Xylella fastidiosa has not been detected in Greece, and the government is determined to keep it out.
The International Olive Council’s (IOC’s) Market Newsletter for January opens with a reference to the IOC’s Olive Oil Promise promotional campaign, which was launched in the USA last month at a scientific conference at the University of California at Davis that focused on olive oil’s health benefits. (A link is provided with abstracts of the papers presented there.) The newsletter discusses and graphs the growth in imports of olive oil over the last 25 years in the USA, the world’s leading importer of olive oil. Increasing imports of bulk olive oil in the USA are noted and graphed, with most coming from Spain. Graphs also indicate the amounts of different types of olive oil imported into the USA in recent years, with extra virgin leading. The newsletter then summarizes key points about world trade in olive oil and table olives, noting a decrease in olive oil imports in several major markets (especially China) in October and November. Extra virgin olive oil producer prices have changed slightly in Spain and Greece but decreased 29% in Italy and 12% in Tunisia compared to last year.
The co-writers of the "Olive Encyclopedia: The olive oil" announced on January 23rd the establishment of the "Olive Encyclopedists Society," starting with 29 distinguished scientists interested in interdisciplinary collaboration focused on olives and olive oil. The society supports cooperation among academics, the olive oil industry, and olive growers to foster innovation. Other scientists who share these goals will be invited to join the society later, as well.