Olive Oil Times: Recent Episodes
Editorial Staff
We aim to transform this unique characteristic of the Delphi landscape into a productive olive grove and combine the agricultural production with cultural and recreational activities.– Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek prime ministerKyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, has pledged to restore the Amfissa olive grove, one of several agricultural territories of the country that suffered extensive damages from wildfires in the summer.The Amfissa grove, situated in central Greece, is the country’s largest continuously cultivated olive grove and a hallmark of the Delphi landscape.Thousands of olive trees, mainly of the Protected Designation of Origin-certified Konservolia Amfissis table olive variety, were destroyed by the blaze that broke out in the region last July.“A total of 60,000 olive trees will be planted in the area to replace those that were burned in the fire,” Mitsotakis said during a visit to the area.The prime minister added that the iconic olive grove could also foster more activities than cultivating olive trees.“We aim to transform this unique characteristic of the Delphi landscape into a productive olive grove and combine the agricultural production with cultural and recreational activities, “he said.According to the prime minister, the necessary funds to revive the Amfissa grove have already been secured from both public and private sources. Mitsotakis also noted that the olives and olive oil of the Amfissa grove should be premium priced.“It is impossible for the olive oil and olives produced in the Amfissa grove not to be sold for much more than the oils and olives produced in other groves which don’t have the enormous historical weight of the country’s largest olive grove, which is completely identified with the Delphi landscape,” he said.“So, we need a brand name, the ‘Sacred Delphi’ or something similar, to show producers that there is a future,” Mitsotakis added. “There is more added value. Our intention is not to sell our olive oil to Italy in bulk, but to gain the added value ourselves.”At the same time, the prime minister suggested that the Amfissa olive grove become a “lab of innovation” to seek ways to improve yields in olive oil production.“We will work with the best,” he said. “I had the chance to discuss the matter with the president of Microsoft. I told him to bring Microsoft to the Amfissa grove and see how we can initiate innovative actions to increase productivity and reduce our environmental footprint in olive oil production.”“I can say that he was thrilled,” Mitsotakis concluded. “The big corporations see the added value in such collaborations.”InAgrotypos
Freshly produced Trajan’s Olive Oil will be formally presented today in Civitavecchia, a coastal city north of Rome.The extra virgin olive oil, named after the Roman Emperor who presided over its most significant military expansion, is produced from the olives of hundreds of ancient trees which had been neglected for centuries.So far, 30 hectares of olive trees have been restored in and around the city, a challenging effort due to the uneven slopes and the thickness of the vegetation that has freely grown among the olive trees for years. Workers have 50 hectares still to address.“When you look at those trees, you cannot recognize a clear cultivation pattern; there is no traditional olive grove set up here,” Angelo Murri, an agronomist and miller at the OP Latium producer organization, told Olive Oil Times.“The reason is the rocky nature of the land,” he added. “We can assume many of those trees were planted where they could grow; others have probably spread naturally as the centuries went by.”Murri is among several local experts cooperating in the new project launched by Università Agraria, a public-interest land-management organization.“Our goal is to give new opportunities to a younger generation of farmers and food and cooking students while also boosting the olive restoration project, promoting extra virgin olive oil culture and the local food specialties,” Stefano De Paolis, owner of Tenuta del Gattopuzzo and Trajan’s Olive Oil project manager, told Olive Oil Times.The reference to the name of the Roman Emperor comes from the historic nature of the olive grove and the ubiquitous presence of Trajan’s legacy in the region.Trajan ruled at the end of the first century CE. He built the port that transformed Civitavecchia into a hub of Roman commerce. The port remains among the most relevant in the European Union.Constructed over an earlier Etruscan settlement, the ancient city was named Centum Cellae (“The hundred rooms,” in Latin), which is believed to be linked to the remarkable size of the villa that Trajan had built near the port.Trajan’s name has also been associated with the local Roman baths and the neighboring gardens. A statue of the Roman ruler still greets visitors in Civitavecchia heading toward the sea.However, the bonds of a complex bureaucracy regarding land management and the status of Civitavecchia as a seaport hindered the restoration projects for many years, as public attention and funding were mainly dedicated to developing the supply and logistics infrastructure.“In a city like this, dominated by industry, Trajan’s Olive Oil initiative aims to support a new approach to local agriculture, fostering olive research and olive oil quality and partnering with local schools, olive growers and millers,” De Paolis said.“In such an environment, the Università Agraria initiative is reviving the long-neglected area of the city into a green and lively one, with environmental and educational implications,” he added.In the past decades, small portions of Mandrione Park, where some of the olive groves are located, have sporadically been harvested by locals who are entitled to the olives of certain trees.“When we first arrived, we did not expect to find such old trees,” Murri said. “They are living monuments which in some cases had grown up to 20 meters, with the highest branches protruding upwards, endlessly reaching for the sun while the lower portions grew mixed with the surrounding vegetation.”“This is an extraordinary heritage, with very ancient trees whose value goes way beyond the economic implications of olive production,” De Paolis added. “After a few years of work, we have finally been able to proceed with the first experimental harvest.”Due to the cultivation and production methods, Trajan’s Olive Oil meets the requirements to be certified as a Rome PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) olive oil.In front of those broad old trees, Murri and his colleagues map the restored portions of the o...
Olive pits, used cooking oil and other vegetable remains were converted into biofuel for more than 200 airplanes that flew from Seville airport at the end of November.According to Cepsa, the biofuel manufacturer, flights from six separate airlines used 4.5 percent of the sustainable aviation fuel in their tanks. The European-wide goal for sustainable aviation fuel incorporation is two percent by 2025.The company said the initiative avoided 200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Overall, they argue that replacing jet fuel with biofuel would reduce emissions from aviation by up to 90 percent.Most jet fuel is kerosene based with various additives to prevent congealing, lower the freezing point and raise the flash point.“We have seen that it is not necessary to make any changes in aircraft engines or in the supply systems of airports or aircraft to embrace this type of biofuel,” Javier Gándara, president of the national airlines association, told local media. “It is possible to mix sustainable fuel with conventional kerosene.”According to Our World in Data, a non-profit, flying accounted for about 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 1.9 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.The organization estimated that aviation produced 1.04 billion tons of carbon dioxide alone in 2018.Carlos Barrasa, Cepsa’s commercial and clean energy director, said the project plays an important role in the green transition of the aviation sector and would create new jobs in the region.He said the company plans to produce 2.5 million tons of biofuel at its plant in southwestern Andalusia, of which 800,000 tons would be used for jet fuel.Barrasa estimated that the current biomass generation in the autonomous community and the world’s largest olive-growing and olive oil-producing region could cover about 10 percent of aviation fuel demand from Seville airport.According to Tobi Pardo, the director of aviation and asphalt production at Cepsa, the main limiting factor in the widespread adoption of biofuels for aviation is cost. He estimated biofuel production costs two or three times more than traditional jet fuel.Despite these limitations, Cepsa expects to produce enough biofuel to cover around 400,000 kilometers of flights from participating airlines, a total of 400 and 500 flying hours.EFEDiario de SevillaOur World in Data
Italy’s recently-appointed minister of business has said the government would earmark funds in its proposed budget to create a mobile application to counter Nutri-Score.The app aims to promote and defend traditional food products with the Made in Italy certification, which Italian agriculture unions, politicians and food business lobbyists argue is under attack from Nutri-Score, a front-of-pack-food labeling (FOPL) system.The ministry is expected to set aside €100 million from the 2023 budget to promote traditional Italian food production, with 10 to 15 percent of the funds dedicated to the new mobile app. The budget would have to be renewed again for 2024.The decision comes months after Italy’s market watchdog declined to approve a privately-developed mobile app until the creators lowered the influence of Nutri-Score on its food rating.Nutri-Score is a traffic-light-style FOPL that uses a combination of five coordinated colors and letters to rate how healthy a packaged food item is based on its fat, sugar, salt and calorie content per 100-gram or milliliter serving.The “Green A” indicates the healthiest option, and “Red E” denotes the least healthy. All grades of olive oil are rated as “light-green B” after the latest update to the algorithm.While the Nutri-Score labeling system remains among the potential candidates for a European Union-wide food rating platform, officials in Brussels recently suggested that it is unlikely that any existing FOPL would be adopted as an E.U. standard.However, this announcement has not stopped the Italian pressure campaign to eliminate Nutri-Score from contention.At the November 21st E.U. Agrifish Council, which routinely brings together the ministers of agriculture of all 27 member states, Italy’s Francesco Lollobrigida attacked Nutri-Score again.While speaking to his peers, he said his country’s priority is to “preserve a food system which has grown through time” and branded Nutri-Score “a tool which is misleading with respect to the goals it sets.”Previously, Lollobrigida lambasted Nutri-Score at a wine production event in Italy for giving higher ratings to processed food products than traditionally-produced ones.“The traffic light model desired by the E.U. seems more a means to orient or, rather, disorient the market and consumption, favoring some sectors against others, discriminating those of quality and, for example, the Italian ones,” he said.Most members of the new government support his position. While speaking at an event for Italian food producers earlier this month, the Italian minister of foreign affairs, Antonio Tajani, described Nutri-Score as a “colossal mistake that is part of an attack on Mediterranean cuisine. It’s harmful to the health of citizens and consumers.”“We act at a European level; the government does so with great determination to defend the quality of our products against the incomprehensible choice of wanting to put those labels on products on sale,” he added.At the same event, the Italian health minister, Orazio Schillaci, said that “front-of-pack labeling systems such as Nutri-Score or traffic light systems represent a simplification characterized by the absence of education toward healthy eating habits.”Over the last few years, since its debut in France and the following adoption in other European countries, Nutri-Score has been backed by thousands of nutritionists and health experts across Europe.Several studies have indicated the possible benefits for consumer health that would come from its introduction.A final decision from the Italian government on the financing of the new anti-Nutri-Score app should come before the end of the year.
A new way to determine the authenticity of extra virgin olive oil has been devised by a group of researchers in Italy.Their study, published by Food Chemistry, details a method that includes training artificial intelligence to identify the provenance of an extra virgin olive oil using its phenolic compounds and sterols.Researchers used Taggiasca Ligure extra virgin olive oil from Liguria in northwestern Italy.“Still, the methodology we deployed could apply to any other extra virgin olive oil, to any cultivar, in any region,” Luigi Lucini, a researcher at the department for sustainable food processes at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and co-author of the study, told Olive Oil Times.The main driver for the development was the spread of the Taggiasca olive, native to the region, to other countries. Therefore, the researchers felt it was important to be able to identify and label Taggiasca monovarietals from Liguria.“I hear that the Taggiasca cultivar is being planted abroad, in places such as Greece,” Lucini said. “When we talk about wine, we are used to the concept of terroir. However, the link between extra virgin olive oil and the territory of origin is a real thing, and it implies specific quality characteristics.”In the study, researchers said they could correctly identify locally-produced Taggiasca Ligure olive oils 100 percent of the time.“We worked for four years on the project, and the last year was entirely spent training the system and verifying the efficiency of the method,” Lucini said.The research team compared the new method to the FaceID authenticity tool widely adopted by smartphone producers.“That system learns to recognize different angles of a specific face to authorize access to the device,” Lucini said. “Our method does the same; instead of somatic parameters, it recognizes chemical parameters, allowing it to authenticate the product’s origin.”The researchers began the project by building a robust dataset using 408 samples of Taggiasca Ligure extra virgin olive oil collected from three harvest seasons. With the cooperation of local producer associations, they labeled every sample with coordinates.Using metabolomics, the chemical fingerprint of a specific cellular process, researchers were also able to identify thousands of different compounds, dozens of which are unique to locally-produced Taggiasca Ligure olive oil.“Cholesterol-derivatives and phenolics (tyrosols, oleuropeins, stilbenes, lignans, phenolic acids and flavonoids) were the best markers, based on statistics,” the researchers wrote. “Our results strengthen the concept of ‘terroir’ for extra virgin olive oil and indicate that profiling sterols and phenolics can support extra virgin olive oil integrity if adequate data treatments are adopted.”“Extra virgin olive oil contents vary from season to season,” Lucini added. “Especially in Liguria, where you can find olive trees growing at sea level and others thriving at hundreds of meters only a few kilometers away.”“Differences might also come from weather or farming techniques,” he said. “That is why we gathered data in different seasons to determine the exact markers we needed.”Once the data set was built, artificial neural networks were trained to identify Taggiasca Ligure extra virgin olive oils and deployed to determine the authenticity of oils labeled as such.The researchers said the dataset should be flexible enough to identify whether locally-produced blends, including those claiming to comprise the Taggiasca olive, really do.“Just like the FaceID tool, which recognizes me even if I have glasses on, our method does the same, and it is not obsolete when faced with olive oil blends,” Lucini said. “With FaceD, this happens because wearing glasses is not a determining parameter. The same is true of our method.”To test the system, the researchers tested blended olive oil samples, where non-Taggiasca oils represented anywhere from 5 to 60 percent of the blend. Frantoio w...
A new comprehensive review study shows how following a Mediterranean diet and consuming extra virgin olive oil might provide some protection against the worst effects of a Covid-19 infection.Some evidence suggests that following the traditional Mediterranean diet might help prevent infection.Compared to other diets, such as the Western diet, the Mediterranean diet seems capable of containing inflammation and inhibiting potentially deadly Covid-19 consequences such as cytokine storms.The research, published by the Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry, gathered the available data on key elements of the Mediterranean diet, such as its phenolic compounds, looking at their potential impact in preventing or treating Covid-19 infection.“In contrast with the potential beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet, Western diets are related to systemic inflammation, increased oxidative stress and lower immune response, and thus may increase the severity of Covid-19 patients,” the researchers wrote.“These effects are due to their high content of saturated fat, refined carbohydrates and sugar, and to their low content of fiber,” they added.In the introduction of the study, the researchers pointed out how the Mediterranean diet has been credited in several previous studies with reducing the risks of developing common severe conditions such as metabolic syndrome or cardiovascular disease.“Current evidence supports the potential benefits that hydroxytyrosol, resveratrol, flavonols such as quercetin, flavanols like catechins, and flavanones on the order of naringenin could have on Covid-19,” the authors wrote.However, the scientists acknowledged that the impacts of these polyphenols commonly found in Mediterranean diet foods on Covid-19 have yet to be proven.Still, they wrote, “these bioactive compounds show biological activities that can be useful to prevent this infection and or to improve its prognosis.”The researchers analyzed the properties of the polyphenols, such as their antioxidant activity, which might control inflammation and the release of free radicals.More specifically, researchers highlighted how hydroxytyrosol suppresses two enzymes: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2). MMP-9 is considered responsible for allowing inflammation to spread to the lungs.Scientists believe that MMP-9 and COX-2 play an active role in causing the cytokine storm, one of the most deadly conditions caused by Covid-19.Hydroxytyrosol is one of the most relevant phenols in extra virgin olive oil due to its ability to protect blood lipids from oxidative stress. It is also credited with antiviral properties.Researchers also observed in a laboratory setting that resveratrol, a polyphenol commonly found in Mediterranean diet foods, has demonstrated the ability to inhibit respiratory viruses.One of the reasons for this impact is its ability to trigger the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which improves cellular antioxidant defenses. Both hydroxytyrosol and resveratrol are considered crucial in modulating the Nrf2 defenses.“The activation of Nrf2 has been postulated as a potential therapeutic target against this disease since it is known to protect from lung injuries such as acute lung injury or respiratory distress syndrome,” the researchers wrote.The paper’s authors believe that resveratrol could also help prevent excessive inflammation and result in even more benefits to patients with common conditions such as atherosclerosis or hypertension.The flavonoids found in the Mediterranean diet were also investigated for their potentially beneficial impacts.“The antibacterial and anticancer properties of flavonoids are widely known. Moreover, these compounds, commonly found in the Mediterranean diet, have the ability to sequester free radicals,” the scientists wrote.While flavonoids might activate the Nrf2 pathway and modulate the inflammatory process, researchers warned that further studies ar...
The significant olive oil production decrease expected in Morocco this season has triggered concerns about olive oil availability and rising prices.In many regions of the country, a liter of olive oil is already sold at 80 dirham (€7.24), placing the product out of reach for many Moroccan consumers.According to data from Moody’s Analytics, an economic research firm, the average gross salary in Morocco is €323 per month, the highest in the region but well below the average of most developed countries.Local media report that many Moroccans who cannot afford olive oil, a key ingredient in the local cuisine, have been openly expressing their discontent on social media.The rising olive oil prices have been largely attributed to the country’s production decrease, resulting from prolonged drought. Lower olive yields have increased millers’ production costs, which have been passed on to consumers.Rachid Benali, president of Morocco’s interprofessional olive oil association (Interprolive), warned consumers that an increase in olive oil fraud is likely due to the shortage. In addition, Morocco may be unable to produce enough olive oil to meet its export commitments and internal demand.“In Morocco, olive oil is unfortunately still widely consumed in bulk,” he told local media. “According to our estimates, this mode of consumption represents 85 percent of national consumption and leaves the field open to various methods of fraud since there is no real way to check whether such oil is adulterated.”Benali said most fraud happens when virgin or extra virgin olive oil is mixed with non-virgin or vegetable oils.“These practices are not harmful to health and are even tolerated in some countries, provided that it is indicated on the packaging that it is a mixed oil,” he said. “In our country, these practices are prohibited and considered outright fraud.”According to Benali, it is still early to comment on precise figures regarding the production drop. He said that 70 percent of olive groves in the country are rainfed and were heavily exposed to the impacts of the drought.Additionally, the severity of the current drought has also resulted in cuts to irrigated groves as local officials seek to preserve water reserves.Benali also warned that olive oil prices in several areas could go up to 100 dirham (€9.04) per liter.Over the past few decades, Morocco has steadily increased its olive oil production due to massive olive tree cultivation projects, with yields exceeding 200,000 tons in two different crop years.According to the International Olive Council, Morocco exported 28,000 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, while domestic consumption rose to 150,000 tons.In the last several decades, domestic consumption has grown significantly, rising from 37,000 tons in 1990/91.Rising olive oil prices have not been limited to Morocco. Poor harvests throughout North Africa and southern and western Europe have resulted in price rises across the olive oil world. Some experts anticipate further price rises as the crop year continues.
Thanksgiving in the United States heralds the start of the holiday season. According to some polling, the holiday is Americans’ second favorite, right after Christmas. Thanksgiving is typically associated with over-indulging in fatty, salty and sweet foods with family and friends. By some estimates, Americans consume between 2,500 and 4,500 calories at the meal. Health-conscious consumers might look for ways to make America’s favorite meal a bit healthier but without taking away indulgent flavors. One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate extra virgin olive oil into a range of dishes, from the quintessential turkey to side dishes and desserts. Along with the health benefits derived from its phenolic compounds and wide range of flavor profiles, extra virgin olive oil fits into many common dietary restrictions, including Kosher, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and keto. “I am cooking for my business partners and their families, which are about 20 people, but with one condition: it will be a ‘Tuscan Thanksgiving,’ ” Rolando Beramendi, a cookbook author and the founder of Manicaretti Italian Food Importers, told Olive Oil Times. “I’m making the meal with ingredients from the American tradition but in a traditional way of cooking from Tuscany,” he added. Turkey Thanksgiving’s hallmark food is easily enhanced with extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil’s chemical stability when exposed to high temperatures for extended periods makes it perfect for baking turkeys. For those following traditional recipes, use a flavor injector to inject a medium-intensity extra virgin olive oil right into the breast meat for a juicier texture and additional flavor. For those without an injector at hand, gently lift the skin of the turkey and rub olive oil on the breast meat. Coating the entire bird in olive oil for the last 30 minutes of baking results in crisp, brown skin. Nancy Harmon Jenkins, a food journalist and author of Virgin Territory: Exploring the World of Olive Oil, admitted that she was not overly enthusiastic about turkey (befittingly, the Maine native prefers lobster dressed in olive oil). However, she told us the best turkey she ever had was deep-fried in extra virgin olive oil, although deep-frying turkey at 360 ºF (180 ºC) requires a significant volume of EVOO and a setup to do it safely. For those looking to try something a bit different, Beramendi has an option for what he called a Tuscan-inspired turkey. He recommends deboning the breasts while leaving the skin intact. Next, stack the breasts on top of each other with the fatty parts facing up and down. “And in the middle, you put branches of rosemary and sage, some salt and herbs,” he said. “Then you tie it up, so it becomes like a nice roll, and you sear it in olive oil and get a nice and crispy on the outside.” After, he recommends pouring whole milk or heavy whipping cream to cover the seared breasts, then adding some bay leaf, rosemary branches and pepper kernels before bringing the mixture to a boil and allowing it to simmer for 45 minutes. “The turkey gets nice and cooked but stays very pink and juicy in the middle,” he said. After the turkey is boiled, the last step is to put it in the oven and allow it to bake for the rest of the way. “As part of the basting process, drizzle some olive oil on the turkey,” he said. “Turkey doesn’t have that much fat in the first place, so using more olive oil in the process would be quite nice.” Once it has come out of the oven, Beramendi recommends using robust extra virgin olive oil on the turkey instead of the traditional gravy to lighten up the meal and provide a new dimension of flavor. The side dishes While extra virgin olive oil can transform the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, its use is certainly not limited to the main course. From traditional vegetable medleys to mashed potatoes, extra virgin olive oil can enhance a wide range of side dishes at the Thanksgiving table. For those unanointed to cooking with olive oil, Jenkins...
The olive harvest is underway in several regions of Syria, and local growers are hopeful of a strong yield by the end of the season. According to local sources cited by the state news agency Sana, approximately 125,000 tons of olive oils should be expected in the 2022/23 crop year, a 20-percent increase compared with the previous year. In the last few years, local olive oil production has slightly exceeded 100,000 tons, with the notable exception of the 2018/19 crop year, when the country produced 154,000 tons of olive oil, according to the International Olive Council. In the 2021/22 crop year, Syria produced 105,500 tons of olive oil. However, the country’s ongoing civil war, which started in 2011 and has since resulted in 610,000 people killed, including 307,000 civilians and up to 13 million internally displaced people and refugees, has taken a profound toll on olive growing. Along with wheat and cotton, olives are one of the country’s main crops. Prior to the start of the civil war, production and exports of these three crops accounted for 9 percent of the country’s annual GDP. In the five years leading up to the escalation of the conflict in 2013, Syria produced an average of 176,600 tons of olive oil each year. Data from agricultural researchers in Hungary and Turkey indicate that from 2012 to 2016, Syria lost $795 million worth of value from the olive sector. Some of these losses resulted from Turkey’s invasion of northwestern Syria, where the former established a buffer zone to house some of the millions of refugees pouring over its border and keep other rival factions in the civil war at arm’s length. During this time, Turkey was accused of stealing 35,000 tons of olive oil from Syria to export. Turkish officials disputed the claim, arguing that the olive oil from occupied Syrian territory was obtained legitimately. Currently, most Syrian olive oil exports are destined for other countries in the Middle East and the Caucusus. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), most Syrian olive oil exports are shipped to the United Arab Emirates, followed by Turkey, Kuwait and Armenia. IOC figures show that Syrian olive oil exports in the last few years sat between 15,000 to 20,000 tons. Olive trees grow in many parts of Syria, but the most fruitful cultivation happens in the northwestern portions of the country, in the hilly land between the Aleppo and Idlib regions and along the mountains on the Mediterranean coastline, from the Turkish border to Damascus. These parts of the country traditionally receive a larger amount of rainfall during the winter season. According to the Satoyama Initiative of the United Nations, olive tree cultivation in Syria began around the year 2400 BCE. Many species of wild olive varieties thrive in the country and are highly valued for their genetic diversity.
A new report from the agribusiness task force of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), a network of prominent food business chief executives, has urged governments and food producers to work together toward more sustainable agriculture to prevent further fueling of climate change. The report is sponsored by some of the largest and most influential multinational food and farming corporations, including Bayer, Mars, McCain Foods, Indigo Agriculture and McDonald’s. It sets forth an action plan to promote regenerative agriculture, an alternative means of producing food that focuses on cutting emissions in farming while promoting soil health and biodiversity. “[Agriculture] accounts for a large proportion of the global greenhouse gas emissions,” the report said. “If businesses are to meet their net-zero commitments and protect against future supply-chain disruption, they must facilitate a transition to a more sustainable food system.” The report’s authors argued that agriculture, the world’s largest industry, can solve environmental challenges through regenerative farming. They noted, however, that the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices is lagging. “The rate of growth [of regenerative farming] needs to triple to reach 40 percent of global cropland by 2030 and deliver against the world’s need to limit climate change to 1.5 ºC,” they wrote. The report also prompts governments and the food industry to address the knowledge gap in how to implement regenerative farming and ensure farmers worldwide follow best practices. Grant Reid, the task force chair and outgoing chief executive of Mars, a signatory to the report, stressed the importance of acting quickly to ensure agriculture plays an active role in curbing climate change. “We are at a critical tipping point where something must be done,” he said. “The interconnection between human health and planetary health is more evident than ever before. Big food companies and agriculture must play a big part in changing that.” On the other hand, critics claim that large agribusiness companies are among the most accountable for the mismanagement of the climate and have no alternative but to take notice of climate change sooner or later. “I don’t think any of these companies – say a McDonald’s – has any commitment to curtail the sales of highly polluting products,” said Devlin Kuyek, a researcher at Grain, a non-profit that works with small farmers. “I don’t think PepsiCo is going to say the world doesn’t need Pepsi.” Kuyek also underlined the importance of small food producers and blamed large corporations for undermining sustainability in food production. “Small, local food systems still feed most of the people on the planet, and the real threat is that the industrial system is expanding at the expense of the truly sustainable system,” he said. “Corporations are creating a bit of smoke and mirrors here, suggesting they are part of the solution when inevitably they are part of the problem.”
A new report from the agribusiness task force of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), a network of prominent food business chief executives, has urged governments and food producers to work together toward more sustainable agriculture to prevent further fueling of climate change. The report is sponsored by some of the largest and most influential multinational food and farming corporations, including Bayer, Mars, McCain Foods, Indigo Agriculture and McDonald’s. It sets forth an action plan to promote regenerative agriculture, an alternative means of producing food that focuses on cutting emissions in farming while promoting soil health and biodiversity. “[Agriculture] accounts for a large proportion of the global greenhouse gas emissions,” the report said. “If businesses are to meet their net-zero commitments and protect against future supply-chain disruption, they must facilitate a transition to a more sustainable food system.” The report’s authors argued that agriculture, the world’s largest industry, can solve environmental challenges through regenerative farming. They noted, however, that the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices is lagging. “The rate of growth [of regenerative farming] needs to triple to reach 40 percent of global cropland by 2030 and deliver against the world’s need to limit climate change to 1.5 ºC,” they wrote. The report also prompts governments and the food industry to address the knowledge gap in how to implement regenerative farming and ensure farmers worldwide follow best practices. Grant Reid, the task force chair and outgoing chief executive of Mars, a signatory to the report, stressed the importance of acting quickly to ensure agriculture plays an active role in curbing climate change. “We are at a critical tipping point where something must be done,” he said. “The interconnection between human health and planetary health is more evident than ever before. Big food companies and agriculture must play a big part in changing that.” On the other hand, critics claim that large agribusiness companies are among the most accountable for the mismanagement of the climate and have no alternative but to take notice of climate change sooner or later. “I don’t think any of these companies – say a McDonald’s – has any commitment to curtail the sales of highly polluting products,” said Devlin Kuyek, a researcher at Grain, a non-profit that works with small farmers. “I don’t think PepsiCo is going to say the world doesn’t need Pepsi.” Kuyek also underlined the importance of small food producers and blamed large corporations for undermining sustainability in food production. “Small, local food systems still feed most of the people on the planet, and the real threat is that the industrial system is expanding at the expense of the truly sustainable system,” he said. “Corporations are creating a bit of smoke and mirrors here, suggesting they are part of the solution when inevitably they are part of the problem.”
Adverse weather conditions and devastating wildfires have resulted in low expectations for the olive harvest in Algeria. Local observers told Olive Oil Times they expect production to reach no more than 30,000 tons in the 2022/23 crop year. The average olive oil yield in the last five years sits at 94,800 tons. If confirmed, this year’s yield would represent a 70 percent drop compared with the previous season, which finished with 98,0000 tons and would be the lowest since 2009/10, International Olive Council data indicate. The Algerian government and producers have focused on expanding production in the last decade, and in 2019/20, they achieved a record olive oil yield of 126,000 tons from approximately 500,000 hectares of olive groves. It is estimated that 70 million olive trees are grown in the country, and in the next few years, the Algerian olive sector aims to plant 400,000 more hectares. The significance of olive growing in the country prompted the Algerian government to have the National Institute of Agronomic Research select 15 olive oil producers from the main producing regions to participate at SIAL Paris, a food and beverage show. However, these producers have faced plenty of adversity this year. In 2021, wildfires devastated Tizi Ouzou, a highly productive olive-growing province in the Kabylia region. It is estimated that the blazes destroyed between 10,000 and 15,000 hectares near the Mediterranean coast, east of the capital, Algiers. In the most affected areas, growers are already replanting olive trees and grafting new cuttings on damaged trees that are in the condition to be restored. “The climate has changed a lot, the drought tends to take place during the rainy seasons, such as autumn and winter, with a poor distribution of rainfall during the year,” Nagueb Ladjouzi, an exporter from Kabylia, told Olive Oil Times. “It significantly affects the production of the olive tree, its flowering, fruit setting and fruit development,” he added. According to Ladjouzi, this year’s production drop is due to extreme heat affecting the mostly-rainfed olive groves at a moment of altered precipitation patterns. He said the sudden torrential rainfall and some rain in the autumn do not compensate for the warmer-than-average temperatures experienced for months and a drier-than-expected summer. “Those conditions resulted in a loss of flowering in spring that affected the whole of Algeria,” Ladjouzi added. “And in Kabylia, we have experienced not only a reduction of olives on the trees but also a widespread drop of leaves. On top of that, it is an alternate bearing season.” Kabylia producers mostly grow the Chemlal olive variety. “Its genome has not changed since ancient times, its genetics remain the same,” Ladjouzi said. “It is often mistaken for the Chemlali variety grown in Tunisia, while it is actually much more similar to the Carolea cultivar grown in Calabria, in Italy.” “Both the Chamlel and the Takesrit varieties develop aromas that are characterized more closely as black fruity if harvested at maturity,” he added. “You can develop green fruits by picking them early, but their aromas will be insignificant or even tasteless.” Even though olive oil is an established ingredient in local cuisine and is commonly considered a remedy for several health conditions, olive oil quality has never been a priority among most consumers. Still, high-quality producers, mostly located in the northern or central regions of the country, are increasingly participating in olive oil quality competitions, allowing them to reach international audiences. Hakim Alileche, a miller and owner of Dahbia, emphasized how relevant the international market is for local producers. “We began our plantation of olive trees in 2004 in the Benahar region and continued planting until 2014 when we reached our planned dimensions,” Alileche told Olive Oil Times. The producer now has 15,000 trees grown on 40 hectares. The Alileche farm started producing olive oi...
A report released ahead of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, found developing countries will need to secure $1 trillion per annum in external finance to cut emissions, boost their resilience and restore nature and land damage caused by climate change by the end of the decade. “The world needs a breakthrough and a new roadmap on climate finance that can mobilize the $1 trillion in external finance that will be needed by 2030 for emerging markets and developing countries other than China,” the report said. The report, jointly commissioned by the governments of Egypt and the United Kingdom, the current and previous climate summit hosts, suggested that developing countries and emerging markets collaborate with developed countries and multilateral institutions to raise the $1 trillion required annually. “Unlocking substantial climate finance is the key to solving today’s development challenges,” said Vera Songwe, one of the report’s authors. “This means countries must have access to affordable, sustainable low-cost financing from the multilateral development banks to help crowd in investments from the private sector and philanthropy.” Specific steps should be followed to unlock the necessary investment, including rapidly preparing investment projects, expanding the scope of concessional finance, and tackling the debt and liquidity issues developing countries face. The report further estimated that developing countries should match the $1 trillion from outside sources with their own funds to secure an amount of more than $2 trillion yearly. It also clarified that the $1 trillion in external funding is separate from the $100 billion per annum wealthy countries committed to providing from 2020 to support less affluent countries in tackling the effects of climate change. However, the planet’s rich nations have not met the $100 billion pledges. Meanwhile, allocating funds to poorer countries to combat climate change has been a cause of contention at COP27, with less developed countries claiming that rich countries should take much of the strain of climate change. “We have to go round the world with a begging bowl for something that is our right,” said Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s climate change minister. “Justice means that those countries which caused global warming must pay. They must take responsibility.”
Ultra-processed foods commonly available in food retailers in most countries share some of the addictive characteristics of tobacco, new research suggests. An opinion and debate article published by the Society for the Study of Addiction investigated if and how consuming ultra-processed food might lead to a life-threatening addiction. Previous research has shown that frequent, high-volume consumption of ultra-processed food has been linked with an increase in heart attacks, strokes and premature death. The increasingly apparent negative impacts of ultra-processed food on health prompted several authorities and researchers to recommend that companies indicate whether a product is ultra-processed on its labels. Now, researchers are investigating whether an addictive-eating phenotype may exist, particularly involving foods with refined carbohydrates and added fats (HPFs). “The lack of scientifically grounded criteria to evaluate the addictive nature of HPFs has hindered the resolution of this debate,” researchers wrote. They said evidence of an existing phenotype exists that reflects the “hallmarks of addiction” in some consumers, such as loss of control over intake, intense cravings, inability to cut down and continued use despite negative consequences. Additionally, excessive food intake has been linked with symptoms of other addictive disorders, including low quality of life or adverse reactions to weight-loss treatments. The study’s authors also acknowledged that other researchers tend to believe that food addiction does not depend on the type of food but on the act of eating, making it impossible to classify specific food as addictive. “HPFs are evolutionarily novel products made possible through modern food technology that provide refined and rapidly delivered primary reinforcers, specifically calories, in the form of refined carbohydrates and added fats,” researchers wrote. “The debate that remains concerns whether a refined and optimized delivery system of calories can produce comparative effects to a refined and optimized delivery system of addictive drugs,” they added. In 1988, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report identifying tobacco products as addictive based on scientific criteria, including their ability to cause highly controlled or compulsive use, psychoactive or mood-altering effects and ability to reinforce behavior. The study explained how HPFs are “complex substances that are psychoactive, highly reinforcing, strongly craved and consumed compulsively,” similar to tobacco products. “The foods that people report being most likely to consume in an addictive manner are all HPFs that deliver both refined carbohydrates and added fats,” the researchers wrote, citing chocolate, ice cream, French fries and pizza as relevant examples. HPF foods high in refined carbohydrates without high levels of fat, such as breakfast cereal, gummy candy and soft drinks, are also associated with an addictive-eating phenotype. These HPF foods deliver high doses of refined carbohydrates and fats, which the researchers described as “unnatural” because they depend on “significant changes to the food matrix during processing that removes ingredients that would slow down the eating rate and absorption (e.g., water and fiber).” Given their nutrient density and quick bioavailability, HPFs activate the body’s natural reward system through the gut-brain axis. Researchers said the exact dose of HPFs required to trigger an addiction is currently unknown but added the same is true of nicotine. “This is an important area of future research that may aid in the reformulation of HPFs to reduce addictive potential,” they wrote. According to the scientists, another area of research that should be explored is the role played by the many food additives that modify the taste, smell, texture or mouth-feel of food. The additives might not trigger addictive behavior by themselves. Still, the researchers believe that they may contribute to the addictive-...
The first urban olive biodiversity regional park has opened in Termoli, Molise, a region of south-central Italy. “The Olive Tree Park is a redevelopment project of an urbanized context that for centuries has been dedicated to the olive tree cultivation,” Nicola Malorni, one of the project’s promoters, told Olive Oil Times. “This translates into recovering century-old olive trees and planting new ones, with the purpose of promoting social and work inclusion of vulnerable individuals and well-being of citizens.” Inaugurated on the ‘Walking Among Olive Trees Day,’ the project was supported by local officials, Città dell’Olio, an association that includes more than 400 olive-growing municipalities, the Kairos social cooperative and several other local businesses and organizations. The park was inaugurated with an olive oil tasting and other festivities centered around olive trees and olive oil. Eighty seedlings belonging to the 20 registered regional olive varieties were planted: Gentile di Larino, Oliva Nera di Colletorto, Oliva di San Pardo, Salegna di Larino, Aurina, Olivastro d’Aprile, Rossuola, Olivastro Dritto, Sperone di Gallo, Cellina di Rotello, Rumignana, Olivastro, Rosciola di Rotello, Cazzarella, Olivetta Nera, Paesana Bianca, Cerasa di Montenero, Gentile di Mafalda, Paesana Nera and the recently-discovered Olivo Fumo di Guardialfiera. “The creation of this unique place dedicated to olive biodiversity is confirmation of Molise as a small but great laboratory in the olive tree and olive oil sector,” said Pasquale Di Lena, who took part in the development of the project. Similarly to its other projects, Kairos involved people belonging to vulnerable categories, including victims of violence, people with disabilities and people on probation in the management of the olive grove and extra virgin olive oil production. Furthermore, the olive oil produced from the park’s trees will be donated to those in need and local health and social services. “Besides the inclusion purposes, the project promotes the safeguard of the millenary olive culture of Molise,” Di Lena said. “Moreover, it helps fight urban pollution thanks to the olive trees’ ability to capture and store carbon dioxide; it enhances a public green area now equipped for cultural, educational and sports activities; it promotes healthy lifestyles and food habits,” he added. Trails with educational signage informing visitors about the different olive varieties run through the park, which also includes play and fitness areas, a topiary garden with plant sculptures, and a 30-seat agora located in the shade of an ancient olive tree. “Accessibility is a fundamental point,” Malorni said. “All the itineraries are made with materials and slopes suitable for people with reduced motor and sensory skills. We have also planned the construction of naturalistic engineering works in view of accessible tourism projects.”
Spain’s minister of agriculture, fisheries and food has asked all the stakeholders of the nation’s olive oil production chain to stay united and cooperate in times of significant olive oil price instability. Luis Planas said olive oil prices had increased 45 percent in the last year, which he warned could translate into a reduced appeal of the product among families. He added that a “gourmet” product available only to certain consumers would do no good for the olive oil sector. In the current environment, he said, the industry should act to “avoid price spikes.” Among the drivers of the ongoing olive oil price rise is the exceptionally low harvest expected across all of Spain, the world’s largest olive oil-producing country. Additionally, inflation and continued uncertainty in the global oilseed markets have resulted in an unprecedented market situation for olive oil. “We are living in a moment that is completely unprecedented. Olive oil has never had such a high price,” Juan Vilar, a strategic consultant, told Olive Oil Times in an October 2022 interview. The latest official estimates from both the national and Andalusian governments calculate that olive oil production will reach somewhere between 700,000 and 800,000 tons. Meanwhile, national olive oil stocks slightly exceed 400,000 tons. Given these volumes, Planas reassured Spanish consumers, confirming that there would be enough olive oil for internal consumption and exports. International Olive Council figures show that olive oil consumption in Spain reached approximately 510,000 tons in the 2021/22 crop year. At a meeting for the presentation of a science-based book on olive oil and health promoted by the Foundation Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero and by the Spanish Interprofessional Olive Oil Organization, Planas also noted that he looks “with optimism at the future of the sector, both for the product and for who is behind it.” “I think it is crucial that all parts of the olive oil sector. are united to ensure they get the most out of this product,” he added. Several olive oil industry leaders have repeatedly expressed similar worries in recent days. Adoración Blanque, the president of the Almería chapter of the Association of Young Farmers and Ranchers (Asaja Almería), said the motivation for the price increase “is partly due to the excessive reduction of the harvest in the rest of Andalusia.” “However, we must emphasize that if the price at origin is very high, it is high for the consumer as well, so consumption could be affected,” she added. Producers in Spain and other relevant markets, such as Italy, also lament the higher production costs, including for electricity, fuel, fertilizer, pesticide, packaging, labels, logistics and marketing. However, Planas remained optimistic in his speech and emphasized the need to educate consumers about olive oil. He concluded that there was still remarkable potential to grow the sector, as olive oil accounts for just 3 percent of edible fats consumed globally.
The increasingly-pronounced effects of climate change are having a negative impact on Croatian olive growing, according to researchers at the University of Zagreb. Lidija Srnec, a meteorologist and head of the university’s climate monitoring department, said climate change in Croatia has resulted in heat waves becoming more frequent and lasting longer. She added that at least three heat waves this summer affected the country’s long-term drought and exacerbated a large number of wildfires. According to firefighting officials in the country, Croatia experienced 14,241 fires in the first 10 months of 2022, a 47-percent increase compared to the same period in 2021. Additionally, the amount of land burned by wildfires reached 56,540 hectares, a 135-percent increase compared to last year. Olive groves in Istria and Dalmatia, the country’s two most significant olive-growing regions, were among the areas burned this year. In addition to drought and fires, there is even greater concern regarding rising sea levels in the Adriatic. According to existing models, the Adriatic could rise from 32 to 65 centimeters by the end of the century. “We have not yet reached the point of no return, but agreements are needed as soon as possible,” said Julije Domac, a climate and energy adviser to Croatia’s president. He added that significant challenges await global leaders at COP27 in Egypt as they seek to mitigate the impacts of climate change and limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 ºC compared to the pre-Industrial average. If the sea level rises by a half-meter, Croatia will lose more than 100 million square meters of coastline. More than a dozen cities and urban areas on Croatia’s coastal islands and the mainland, including Split, the country’s second-largest city, would also be at risk. Along with islands and coastal cities, important agricultural areas on the coast would also be at risk, including the Neretva River Valley and Ravni Kotari plain, which are home to many olive groves. Officials warned the damage to olive oil production would be immeasurable. Moreover, they added the loss of olive trees might further exacerbate the issue, as the trees are known to be significant carbon sinks. “Some studies say that we are the third-most exposed European country [to the impacts of climate change],” Domac said. “Therefore, Croatia has to work hard, primarily on adaptation to climate change.” Mirko Orlić, a geophysicist at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, thinks this urgency must be on full display from Croatian and global leaders in Egypt. “Two things remain undefined,” he said. “The first is what each country needs to do to reach the 1.5- to 2-degree target. The problem is that it was never agreed to check whether the goals are being met. So there are promises, but there is no verification mechanism.”
The global development of the olive sector will be the focus of the International Olive Council’s (IOC) annual meeting in Madrid, Spain, which begins in the second half of November. In a series of events, including a plenary session of representatives of all 18 IOC members, the council will release its updated data about the ongoing trends in the sector, including production consumption and trade data for olive oil and table olives. Starting November 22th, the 116th session of the IOC’s Council of Members will be held, with the specialized IOC committees meeting ahead of the plenary session that will take place on November 30th. Representatives from Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia will also attend the meeting as observers. Both countries have applied to join the United Nations’ International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives 2015, paving the way to join the organization in the future. Other observers during the 10 days of meetings and events include the United States, Sudan, Iraq and the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM). CIHEAM is a long-term partner of IOC and has taken part in many initiatives and research projects related to olive growing in several countries. Among the activities planned for November 23rd is the technology and environment committee meeting, which will discuss the latest research findings, report on the development of the IOC’s world olive variety catalog and continue with its Ph.D. scholarship and other programs. On November 29th, local authorities in Jaén invited the IOC on a technical visit to the province, the world’s most significant olive oil-producing region. In Jaén, the meeting of the IOC advisory committee, the plenary session and the Mario Solinas Quality Awards awards ceremony will also occur. The IOC will also celebrate World Olive Day on December 1st. During the celebrations, a technical seminar will be held about the role of olive growing in terms of sustainability, quality and health. One of the most awaited-for events will take place on December 2nd. As the IOC returns to its Madrid headquarters, a flag-raising ceremony will be held in honor of Uzbekistan, the latest member to join the IOC in August 2021. While representing a challenging environment for olive growing, Uzbekistan already boasts several hundred hectares mainly focused on the local olive tree cultivar, Uzbek, which has shown high resilience to the cold winters experienced in the region. Finally, the IOC annual event will host the inauguration of an olive grove from all the IOC member countries in the forecourt of the Organization’s headquarters. Guests will then be invited to taste Uzbek cuisine.
Temperatures in Europe are rising faster than on any other continent, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The report found that average annual temperatures in Europe have increased two-fold compared to the global average of the past three decades. Officials worry that continuing this trend will threaten European communities’ health and hurt the economy and environment. However, the above-average temperature rise experienced in Europe does not surprise climatologists. “Global warming does not follow the same patterns all around the planet,” Gianmaria Sannino, a climatologist at the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), who was not directly involved in the study, told Olive Oil Times. “It depends on many factors, such as the distribution of land and sea, as the sea can absorb heat way more than land,” he added. “This is among the reasons the northern hemisphere tends to become warmer than the southern.” The 2021 State of Climate in Europe report found that temperatures increased 0.5 ºC each decade from 1991 to 2021. While this sounds like a relatively minor increase, climatologists warned that it has and will have significant consequences. “Surface temperatures are increasing as the heat is trapped in our atmosphere by the greenhouse gases,” Sannino said. “That heat is energy. A huge quantity of energy, equal to five Hiroshima atomic bombs, detonated in the atmosphere every second for the last 40 years.” Extraordinarily warm temperatures coupled with changing rainfall patterns and lower volumes of precipitation are among the causes of the ongoing drought, which is one of the most relevant impacts of climate change in Europe. The WMO report found that precipitation deficits since 2018 have been recorded across Europe, with a more significant impact on the Iberian Peninsula and the Alps. “In Europe, we are seeing a systematic reduction of precipitation,” Sannino said. “In the long run, Europe will have to face the increasing frequency of heatwaves, growing water scarcity and sea level rise. Those are the three variables most impacting the continent, its population and agriculture.” The WMO reported how dry conditions coupled with repeated heatwaves in southern Europe resulted in devastating wildfires in Italy, Greece and Turkey, three major olive oil-producing countries. In 2021, wildfires burned three times more area than the 2006 to 2020 average across southern Europe and the Levant. “Most damage from wildfires is due to extreme events that represent less than 2 percent of the total number of fires,” the WMO report said. “These events, for which neither ecosystems nor communities are adapted, can have significant socioeconomic and ecological consequences.” “Climate change, human behaviors and other underlying factors are creating the conditions for more frequent, intense and devastating fires in Europe,” the report added. Along with the impacts of wildfires, climate change has a profound effect on European agriculture, mainly related to changing precipitation patterns and rising temperatures. Citing data from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the WMO said climate change has resulted in shorter harvesting periods arriving at different moments of the year and changes to the planting season. For example, the WMO cited the cold snap in the spring of 2021, which caused widespread damage to a range of crops across France and Italy, including olive trees. “Climate change leads to economic impacts which translate into a loss of livelihoods, reduced agricultural production and productivity, adverse effects on food availability and food access, and loss of income, which can contribute to food insecurity and lead to hunger and malnutrition,” the report said. The report further found that changes to the jet stream, an air current that blows from west to e...
The prolonged drought and the summer heat waves have taken a toll on olive production in the Andalusian province of Almería. Growers and producers in the province estimate that they will harvest half the amount of olives as last year. The Andalusian regional government anticipates Almería to produce 10,000 tons of olive oil this year, 31 percent below the five-year rolling average. However, the local chapter of the Association of Young Farmers and Ranchers (Asaja) said the production decreases would not be uniform across the province after it surveyed the most significant olive farming areas. More specifically, Asaja Almería said the harvest at Campo de Tabernas would experience a 30 percent drop in its olive harvest compared to last season. Meanwhile, olive harvesting operations in the Andarax river valley project a potential 70 percent drop and irrigated olive groves in Almanzora will see an 80 percent decrease. “This is a forecast for those regions where [olive] collection has already begun since there are still areas where the most activity will occur during December and January, although differences according to areas and the cultivation system (rainfed and irrigated) are evident,” Asaja Almería said. While the challenging weather has affected most groves, Asaja Almería said the reasons behind such low volumes vary from one olive growing area to the next. For example, water stress from Spain’s historic drought has affected yields in irrigated groves. Still, in some areas, such as the Adnarax river valley, rainfed and irrigated groves received enough water. Instead, Asaja Almería indicated that the production decreases there are the result of other climatic phenomena. Despite the significant decrease expected by producers across the province, Asaja Almería said the current harvest would not be the worst one experienced by the province since timely spring rain had helped many olive crops. However, Adoración Blanque, the president of Asaja Almería, said growers should not delay their harvests, or they would risk losing quality. “It should be noted that, although the olive grove has maintained the humidity fairly well, the extreme drought in recent months has caused the olive to ripen, so Asaja is warning that delaying the harvest too much could ruin the campaign,” he said. “It might not be safe to wait until January to produce extra virgin olive oil.” While olive and olive oil production in Almería is relatively small compared to other Andalusian provinces, it still plays a vital role in the local economy. In the first six months of 2022, olive oil sales and exports from the province more than doubled compared to the same period in 2021. Almería sold and exported €4.8 million of olive oil, a 125 percent increase compared to the previous year. In the same period, the whole of Andalusia has experienced a 31 percent growth in sales value, reaching €18.2 billion. Asaja Almería concluded its analysis with a note of optimism: rain in the coming months would vastly improve the end of the olive harvest in December and January.
One of the communities in southern Italy whose ancient olive oil-making culture was brutally impacted by the Xylella fastidiosa outbreak is off to a new start. Local authorities, scientists and agricultural associations are working together to recreate the landscape of Otranto, in the heart of Puglia’s Salento province. The Research Center for Agriculture (CREA), the University of Salento and Otranto municipality have launched an experimental reforestation initiative. The idea is to cultivate new biodiversity in the province where olive trees once thrived by planting Xylella fastidiosa-resilient plant species. “Landscape is a crucial portion of the identity of a population,” Fabio Pollice, the University of Salento’s dean, told Olive Oil Times. “Landscape is the synthesis of cultural and environmental elements.” “Taking care of our landscape means taking care of our identity and projecting it into the future,” he added. “Regenerating the landscape means rebuilding the ecosystemic balance which has been the richness of this territory for centuries. This is the reason this is a cultural project.” The initiative’s promoters said it represents a communal effort to bring back the cultural heritage of Otranto, tying it into the development of tourism opportunities and working to involve younger generations. Several local high schools participate in re-planting days with environmentalists, architects, agri-food entrepreneurs, garden centers and agricultural cooperatives. For centuries, Salento was at the heart of olive oil production in Puglia and one of the most relevant producing provinces of the region. Despite the scourge of Xyella fastidiosa, Puglia remains Italy’s most significant olive oil-producing region. However, the devastation brought by Xylella fastidiosa in the last decade has wholly modified the landscape of the southern portion of the region, located on the ‘heel’ of Italy’s boot. The bacteria infects olive trees and causes Olive Quick Decline Syndrome, a deadly disease with no cure. The spread of Xyella fastidiosa has devastated the local economy and environment. The death of millions of olive trees has drastically altered the natural environment and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The current olive oil production in the south, where it is still possible, is just a tiny fraction of what it used to be. Over time, several local projects have been financed to support the transformation of local farms and the adoption of new crops. In some cases, new Leccino and Favolosa olive trees have been planted, which are more resilient to Xylella fastidiosa. Still, everything has changed for local residents. “It is true that Xylella killed our olive trees but did not kill our identity. We are ready to rebuild the landscape; its beauty is inside us,” Pollice said. Pantaleo Piccinno, president of the Salento-Jonic Agriculture Quality District (DAJS), among the organizations involved in the project, told Olive Oil Times in an April 2022 interview that the goal of these types of projects is to revitalize Puglia. “The goal is to bring back agriculture and income to areas severely hit by Xylella,” he said. “We are working with a new approach to replace destroyed olive groves with new crops, reshape our territory and give strength to its agricultural excellencies.” When it comes to the Otranto initiative, the city is fully immersed in the multi-year project with hopes of winning the nomination as the Culture Capital of the Nation, a prize awarded to communities that have made extraordinary efforts to promote their heritage and traditions. “We have used such project for the national award as a means to sustain the community in focusing on the development of our territory through its own culture,” Pollice said. “Culture has always been a driver of development in a city which historically represents a gateway between the eastern and western Mediterranean communities.” “Whatever cultural project we can think of cannot be dev...
Scorching spring and summer temperatures and ongoing drought, which have been the bane of olive growers on the European mainland, are also impacting farmers on Corsica. “We started our harvest much earlier this year due to the extreme heat and lack of rain, in mid-September instead of early October as we have been used to these last years,” Emile Borel-Berta, an author and the co-owner of Moulin Oltremonti, told Olive Oil Times. Borel-Berta purchased the farm with her husband, Ivo, in 2008. The estate sits on 35 hectares of rolling hills in Monte, on the east coast of the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. On another five hectares, the family runs a modern two-phase mill. Last year, Moulin Oltremonti produced about 35 tons of extra virgin olive oil. However, Borel-Berta said she suspects the farm will yield far less olive oil this year. Normally, Borel-Berta cites Corsica’s climate – including plenty of sunshine throughout the year, ample fresh water resources and cool mountain breezes during the summer – as part of what endows her award-winning olive oil with its distinct organoleptic qualities. However, she acknowledged that climate change was bringing new challenges and opportunities to olive farming and oil production in Corsica, adding to all the existing ones. “We face the difficulties that every island faces, mainly its isolation,” she said. “Despite the beauty of our climate and the natural resources which make it a perfect place for olive production, we face the same problems that other farmers face, but more accentuated.” Among the challenges of producing olive oil on an island, Borel-Berta cited higher prices for most goods and services, labor market challenges and political inaction. Borel-Berta added that another headwind is a lack of consumer understanding of the organoleptic and health benefits of extra virgin olive oil. “Our task is to overcome these problems,” she said. “Corsica is a natural and largely untouched territory, a place for olive trees to thrive under free and immense skies of blue. Such a task can only bring joy, however difficult it may be.” One of the ways Corsican farmers overcome the many hurdles of olive oil production on an island is through collaboration. Borel-Berta said Moulin Oltremonti runs informational olive oil tasting sessions and helps other producers equip and run their mills. “It is natural to assist other olive oil producers when you are a professional and multi-award-winner,” she said. “Producers and millers come to us for advice, questions, and problems to resolve. We naturally assist our friends and fellow producers when needed because that has always been how we have been brought up.” Along with olive oil, the company also produces olive oil-based soap and other beauty products, olive spreads and table olives. However, extra virgin olive oil production is the company’s main focus. Earlier this year, Moulin Oltremonti’s Athea brand earned the industry’s most prestigious quality award at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. “Our team was thrilled to receive a Gold Award at the NYIOOC,” she said. “This means we should keep up the good work and be in good spirits with increased visibility and sales.” Borel-Berta crafts her Athea brand from the native Ghjermana di Casinca variety, which is harvested at the end of each autumn, along with Taggiasca and Leccio del Corno olives. She attributed the unique herbaceous aroma and green banana and peppery notes to the combination of cultivar and climate. Despite the difficulties of the current season, Borel-Berta is optimistic about the future. She is already looking forward to sending fresh extra virgin olive oil to the 2023 NYIOOC and has plans to expand production. “Our future plans are to plant more olive trees, of course,” she concluded.
Olive pit-based biofuel is powering a vintage steam train in southern France, carrying tourists through the natural parks and the charming hills and villages of Provence, the heart of wine and olive oil production in the country. For decades, the Train Des Pignes à Vapeur had left behind a trail of dark grey smoke from its coal-fired engines. As the end of the 2022 tourism season approached, the cultural association that runs the train announced that its 44.5-ton locomotive is now powered by olive-derived biofuel. According to the study group for the Provence Railway Association (GECP), the current engine still requires some coal to function properly. Still, it mainly runs on olive pits shaped into large cylindrical “logs.” One ton of coal can be replaced by 700 kilograms of olive-derived fuel and 500 kilograms of coal. While the solution does not only make running the train cheaper, it is also more environmentally friendly. The GECP said they decided to make this change both to become more environmentally friendly and because coal was becoming increasingly difficult to find. “Since ancient times, our mills in Provence have used olive pomace for indoor heating,” Guy Mausy, an engineer at the GECP, told La Provence. “Still, this fuel came in powder form, while we require larger pellets.” The GECP said they got the idea from a local affiliate in Tunisia, which used the olive pit “logs” to operate furnaces. A 2021 study in Spain has demonstrated the considerable potential of fuel derived from olive pits. The researchers found that olive pit-based biofuel contains up to 4,500 calories per gram and is anywhere from 70 to 100 percent cheaper than gasoline or diesel. Furthermore, its emissions are also relatively low, with fewer impurities than other types of biofuel since olive pits contain less moisture by the end of the milling process.
Croatian olive growers are rubbing their hands together in satisfaction. Except for the islands of Hvar and Vis, the harvest across the rest of the country was better than expected. The bumper harvest comes despite the challenges of prolonged drought and scorching summer temperatures. “The drought started at the end of spring,” said Edi Druzetić, a well-known local agronomist. “Fortunately, fertilization was good, so the branches are full of fruits. They are smaller than usual, and they ripen more slowly, but the fruits are healthy since there were no diseases or pests due to the high temperatures.” For more than 40 years, Druzetić has been professionally and passionately engaged in olive growing. As part of the Agroprodukt company, he takes care of 12,000 olive trees, mainly the domestic Buža, Istarska bjelica, Rosinjola and Rosulja varieties, on 45 hectares in western Istria. The harvest began a little later this year and is still going on, especially in southern Istria, where the drought was more pronounced. “We haven’t even harvested half of it yet, and in terms of quantity, we have more than we harvested last year,” Druzetić said. This year, Druzetić expects to produce 30,000 liters, more than the previous year’s average. His Torćol, Salvela, Punta Cissana and Aurum blend brands have been awarded multiple times at domestic and international competitions, including the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Uljara Vodnjan, both the oldest and most modern Croatian producer, according to insiders, operates as part of Agroprodukt. The mill, which has existed in the same place for more than 100 years, was completely renovated and modernized last year and now includes new higher-capacity equipment. “We can process up to three tons per hour,” Druzetić said. The mill opened on October 7, and its owners expect to process around 12,000 tons by the end of the season, twice as much as last year. Along with Istrian growers, some come from the Kvarner islands – located east of the Istrian peninsula in Kvarner Bay – to transform their olives. In addition to Istria, oil mills are also working at full steam in Dalmatia. “I don’t remember a harvest like this in the 50 years I’ve been working in olive growing,” said Blaž Jurin, the longtime manager of the agricultural cooperative in Primošten Burnje. He added that there were more fruits than usual since fertilization went well, but the long-term drought and high temperatures slowed the olives’ development and ripening. The season was widely salvaged in Dalmatia by timely rain at the end of September and the beginning of October, which allowed the fruits to recover some oil accumulation. However, harvesting was also delayed in Dalmatia for the same reasons as in Istria, with high temperatures in late October and early November delaying the ultimate ripening of the olives. Part of what has made this year’s harvest stand out compared to previous years is the high percentage of oil accumulation in transformed fruits. Some growers estimate they have oil accumulation that is 20 or 30 times above average, with local media reporting record-breaking figures each day. In northern Dalmatia, an olive grower from Čista Velika received 98 liters of oil from his 322 kilograms of olives processed at the Sveti Ivan mill in Vodice near Šibenik. Records in other oil mills followed, with the largest coming in Supetar on the island of Brač. The English couple Tim Batson James and his wife, Paula, from Bristol, recorded oil accumulation of 34.6 percent from their olive grove on Brač. Ivan Arnerić, the owner of the oil mill in Supetar, said he believes the high oil accumulation percentages are due to a large number of sunny days, high temperatures and dry spells in June and July. He added that late August rain also helped but was followed by a long drought, affecting all of Dalmatia. As a result, the fruits were left without the usual amount of water, making them smaller and lighter, so processing is cheaper for ...
The European Commission has announced a series of measures to ensure the availability and affordability of fertilizers for farmers in the 27-member bloc. Commission officials blamed supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the bloc’s ongoing energy crisis for record-high fertilizer prices. By its estimates, fertilizer prices have risen 149 percent year-on-year since September 2021. According to Fertilizers Europe, a trade association, Europe produced 18.3 million tons of nutrient fertilizer and consumed 17 million tons in 2021. Overall, 134 million hectares of agricultural land in the E.U. are fertilized. While the E.U. is a significant global fertilizer producer, the commission warned that it depends on imports of natural gas, phosphates and potash to manufacture fertilizer. In the summer of 2022, the commission found that natural gas accounted for 90 percent of the variable production cost of ammonia, a key component of fertilizer production. By August, when natural gas prices peaked in the E.U., the industry had shut down 70 percent of its ammonia production. The bloc attempted to mitigate these impacts by proposing to drop tariffs on imports of ammonia and urea, another fertilizer ingredient. Currently, fertilizer production is running at 50 percent capacity in the bloc. However, commission officials warned that exports had dropped and fertilizer prices continued to rise, forcing olive farmers and others to make difficult decisions. “High fertilizer prices affect farmers’ purchasing and planting decisions, and this, in turn, might affect the next season’s harvest and the E.U.’s contribution to global food availability and affordability,” the commission warned in the report. In the long term, the bloc plans to mitigate high energy prices by reducing its imports of Russian natural gas and reducing the use of fossil fuel-based fertilizers. However, in the short term, the commission has announced a series of domestic and international actions to support farmers. “In the short term, we have outlined actions to ensure the immediate availability and affordability of fertilizers,” Janusz Wojciechowski, Europe’s agriculture commissioner, wrote in a Tweet. “As key contributors to the food sector, fertilizer producers can be prioritized for continued and undisrupted access to natural gas in the case of rationing,” he added. The commission has also amended its temporary crisis framework to enable support for farmers and fertilizer producers. “We have also increased flexibility and support possibilities for companies affected by rising energy costs, such as fertilizer producers,” Wojciechowski said. The commission will also expedite €450 million from its agricultural reserve to offset what farmers are paying for high input costs. While the commission plans to help farmers get through the current crop year, the bloc will also begin incentivizing the production of organic fertilizers and more closely regulate the market to prevent price gouging. On the international stage, the commission said it would lobby for avoiding export restrictions on fertilizer and promote global fertilizer trade transparency, among other similar measures. “The current crisis is an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a sustainable agriculture and a sustainable food system, away from an undue dependence on synthetic fertilizers, while ensuring an adequate and affordable fertilizer supply to farmers in the E.U. and in the world,” the commission report concluded.
Thousands of French health professionals, nutritionists, food researchers and other experts have signed an online petition asking the European Commission to adopt Nutri-Score as its mandatory front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) system for packaged foods. The Change.org petition has already received more than 35,000 signatures and is supported by 35 French health associations. Many signatories are physicians involved in cancer, heart health, food addiction and consumer behavior research. The petition’s authors wrote that Nutri-Score has “demonstrated its effectiveness” in the five years since it was adopted on a voluntary basis in France and other European countries. Nutri-Score is a traffic-light-style FOPL that uses a combination of five coordinated colors and letters to rate how healthy a packaged food item is, based on its fat, sugar, salt and calorie content per 100-gram or milliliter serving. The “Green A” indicates the healthiest option, and “Red E” denotes the least healthy. All grades of olive oil receive the “Light-Green B” rating after the latest update to the Nutri-Score algorithm. The petition’s promoters pointed out that no food companies were in favor of Nutri-Score when it was first proposed in 2014, but since then, more than 800 brands have voluntarily adopted the FOPL. However, they added that many leading global brands continue to oppose and lobby against Nutri-Score, including Coca-Cola, Ferrero, Mars, Lactalis, Mondelez and Kraft. For the past few years, Nutri-Score was widely seen as the front-runner of about a half-dozen FOPLs to be selected for mandatory adoption across the European Union. However, criticism of Nutri-Score has crescendoed over the same period reaching its climax at a recent European Parliament roundtable event. Italian politicians and European agricultural associations have long argued that Nutri-Score unjustly punishes farmers and fails to consider traditional food products’ roles in local culinary cultures. After the event, one commission official told a food industry media outlet that no existing food label would be adopted by the European Commission, which would create its own based on the existing FOPLs. Separately, Italy’s permanent representation to the E.U. said the commission would delay the decision to adopt a mandatory food labeling system until the second half of 2023. According to the French petition signatories, Nutri-Score should be adopted for all food packages on sale without exception “to guide our choices in a reasoned way, with full knowledge of the facts.” “We consider this to be a consumer right and a duty of economic operators,” they added. To that end, the petitioners asked the French government to protect Nutri-Score in Europe, called for the European Parliament to adopt Nutri-Score and demanded food producers to adopt Nutri-Score “to respond to consumer demand for true nutritional transparency on the composition of foods.”
The complete archive of every standard, method and corresponding decision adopted by the International Olive Council in the last four decades is now available online. The IOC announced that after years of dedicated work, its standardization and research unit project has made all documents accessible on its website. The newly-published database is divided into sections dedicated to table olive and olive oil-related standards and resolutions. Through its newly-publicized archive of documentation, it is possible to see the considerable progression made by the IOC and olive oil producers globally in terms of improving the product and understanding the most relevant characteristics of the olive oil extraction process, storage and commercialization. The oldest document, written only in Spanish, dates back to 1985 and was the original regulation identifying the different categories of olive oil, which has since been updated. Another document defines “the use of IOC methods for phenolic compound determination.” It is one of the many IOC initiatives meant to study compounds that give olive oil its many health benefits and flavor profiles. Many documents in the database are examples of the advancements and developments of the knowledge, understanding and rules governing the sector over time and the significant role played by the IOC. The council is the world’s only intergovernmental organization focused on olive oil and table olives, which started as the International Olive Oil Council in Madrid in 1959. Over time, its functions and scope broadened, and in 2006 it became the modern IOC. The United Nations’ International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives 2015 formally gave the IOC the crucial role of determining guidelines and trade standards and serving as the world documentation and information center for the olive oil sector. Given this role, the IOC gathers, funds and spreads olive oil research among producing countries, fosters responsible olive oil production and promotes a science-based approach to olive growing and oil making. Today, the IOC comprises 18 members on four continents. In addition, several partner countries also follow its guidelines and are formally applying to join the intergovernmental body.
Rising annual average temperatures across much of the olive-growing world have created uncertainty that olive trees will receive the necessary 200 to 600 chill hours between 2 ºC and 10 ºC required to enable vernalization. Researchers from the Andalusian Institute of Agricultural, Fisheries, Food and Organic Production Research and Training (IFAPA) and the Canary Islands are working on an ongoing study to determine which of the world’s most popular olive varieties may be best prepared for rising winter temperatures in the most productive olive oil-producing region on Earth. “We are very worried about climate change, and there were a lot of papers or models forecasting what will happen with climate change in the future in the Mediterranean with olives,” Raúl de la Rosa, a senior researcher at IFAPA, told Olive Oil Times. “However, all the models were based on theoretical assumption, and no practical trials had been done about what happens when you plant olive trees in a place where there is no winter,” he added. On the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populous of the Canary Islands, commercial olive growing began in 2005. According to data from Aemet, the state-run meteorological agency, average winter temperatures on the arable parts of the island range from 12.5 ºC to 17.5 ºC, with average daily lows between 10 ºC and 12.5 ºC. In Andalusia, average winter temperatures generally sit within the 2 ºC to 10 ºC window. Some climate models predict that the current warming trend will result in Andalusia’s winter temperatures more closely matching those of the Canary Islands in the next 30 years. Over the past six years, the IFAPA researchers and their local partners planted Picual, Hojiblanca, Cornicabra, Arbequina, Coratina, Korneiki and Martina – a cross of Picual (also known as Marteño) and Arbequina – near Córdoba and Málaga, in Andalusia, and on Tenerife. Each of the three grove locations has markedly different climates, with the groves near Málaga experiencing slightly higher average winter temperatures than those in Córdoba. This helped the researchers determine that temperature was causing the main differences between olive development in Tenerife and Córdoba instead of other factors such as soil composition. Since the study began, the researchers have observed several marked differences in how olives behave in Tenerife compared to Andalusia, with the most noticeable differences involving the olive tree flowering period, oil accumulation and chemical composition. “The theoretical models that were produced here in the peninsula forecast that when there is no winter chill, the olive will not flower,” de la Rosa said. “But when we went to the Canary Islands, we found that what actually happens when there is no winter chill is very different.” Instead, Guacimara Medina, an agricultural extension technician and Ph.D. researcher involved in the study, told Olive Oil Times that olives planted in the Canary Islands have two flowering periods from January to May. “When there’s no winter chill, the olive trees always flower, but for much longer than in Andalusia, and there are several flowering periods from January to May,” she said. “The flowering period is longer, and the olive trees flower for three months, sometimes more.” As a result of the extended flowering periods and their non-endemic nature on Tenerife, Medina added that the trees were increasingly susceptible to damage from pests, requiring more intensive phytosanitary intervention. Along with the flowering period, Medina said that oil accumulation was much higher in olives grown on the island. “Due to the mild temperatures, the oil accumulation doesn’t stop,” she said. “In Mediterranean conditions, the oil accommodation finishes when the temperatures decrease.” However, Tenerife’s subtropical climate means that oil accumulation can reach up to 60 percent, compared to 20 percent in the most efficient varieties in Andalusia. Early flowering and the continued oil a...
The government in Jordan has temporarily halted high-volume olive oil imports from Palestine due to the kingdom’s bumper harvest. Hazem al-Samadi, deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Agriculture’s marketing and quality department, said the imports are “rejected at this time due to the peak of the local production season.” Al-Samadi added the measure would be temporary while the olive harvest is ongoing in the country. Farmers and producers in Jordan expect to produce more than 30,000 tons of olive oil, a 25-percent increase compared to the previous crop year. According to the International Olive Council, Jordan produced 22,000 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year. The measure enacted by the Middle Eastern kingdom does not come as a surprise, as similar regulations were passed in December 2021. Challenges abound for Palestinian olive oil exporters, as most of their operations fall under complex agreements with Israel. In April 2020, a commercial dispute about the Israeli cattle market led to a temporary blockade of Palestinian olive oil exports to Jordan by Israeli officials. International Olive Council (IOC) figures show that the sovereign state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip, produced approximately 27,000 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year. For the current harvest, expectations run high, with producers in the Gaza Strip anticipating a good harvest. To help Palestinian producers, the United Kingdom and Indonesia signed separate free trade agreements in 2019. According to a 2018 report from the World Bank, 4.6 percent of the Palestinian gross domestic product, $66.7 million at the time, came from the olive oil sector. Recent estimates from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) confirm these findings. In 2020, Palestinian olive oil exports represented 4.8 percent of the state’s total exports. In addition, OEC figures show that 77 percent of all Palestinian exports in 2020 went to Israel, with 8.5 percent shipping to Jordan. While speaking to journalists, al-Samadi stressed how Palestinian families crossing the border to Jordan will still be allowed to carry up to a maximum of 32 liters of olive oil with them. Some flexibility in the new rules is crucial for many families and farms which operate near the border and, in a few cases, in both Jordan and the West Bank.
Nestled in the northwest corner of Sicily, the Titone farm is caressed by winds blowing from the Tyrrhenian Sea. “Here, my grandfather, Nicolò cultivated Grillo and Catarratto grapes intended for the production of Marsala wine,” Antonella Titone told Olive Oil Times. “The orchard was gradually transformed from a vineyard into an olive grove between the 1970s and 1990s.” “It was my father, Nicola, who planted the trees in a very rational way, with each row corresponding to a single variety, to facilitate the harvest,” she added. Widely considered a pioneer of organic olive farming, Nicola Titone passed away last year. From that moment, Antonella has been committed to honoring his teaching, continuing in his footsteps of high-quality olive oil production while pursuing sustainable agriculture. “He was my wingman, and I miss his support,” she said. “It is all different without him, but I strive to be his worthy successor. At the beginning of this incredible journey into the world of extra virgin olive oil, I was so naive.” “I did not know anything about the sector, and my choice to flank my dad was a bit unconscious and unaware, dictated solely by my love for him,” Titone added. “He involved me, supported me and it has been 20 years since I started making olive oil.” The Titone family have been pharmacists for generations. “Thanks to our background, we have always been focused on preventative care, which can be provided at the table and, before that, by keeping the environment clean,” she said. “Also, the scientific studies helped us have a research approach.” “Based on these premises, my father launched himself into the challenge of organic olive farming, which was groundbreaking at the time,” Titone added. Her blend of Cerasuola and Biancolilla earned a Gold Award at the 2021 and 2022 editions of the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s preeminent olive oil quality awards. Before the establishment of the organic certification and control bodies, Nicola Titone started to implement an environmentally friendly olive grove management regime. Later, his company was among the first in Italy to become certified organic. He became known in the sector for creating a trap for the olive fruit fly, the scientific validity of which was established by the University of Palermo’s agronomy faculty. “I should say that his breakthrough approach had already been seen in the pharmacy field,” Titone said. “He was one of the first, in Marsala, in the early 1970s, to move his pharmacy from the city center to a suburban area since he believed that the health treatments should be easy for all to reach.” “Then, he set up a modern storefront with diet and cosmetic products, not just medicines, which at the time was an innovation,” she added. “He was truly ahead of his time.” Today, Titone manages a 19-hectare olive grove with 5,000 trees between Marsala and Trapani. Typical regional varieties, such as Cerasuola, Nocellara del Belice, Biancolilla and recently-planted Coratina, are interspersed by Frantoio trees as pollinators. “We have equipped our orchards with an irrigation system, as many other nearby companies did, and this helps us to prevent the plants from suffering water stress,” she said. “We were already accustomed to long periods without rain, but they are becoming more severe and long-lasting, requiring more attention and work.” Despite the drought and heat waves that affected Italy last summer, these efforts in the grove have made it possible to arrive to the harvest season with healthy olives, which have been pressed in the state-of-the-art company mill. “We made the first important change to the milling technology in 1999 when we introduced cutting-edge machinery,” Titone said. “Now, we make periodic updates.” “Three years ago, we changed the crusher, substituting the discs with knives, and then we revamped the hatches of the malaxers,” she added. “We try to improve ourselves constantly, and I am determined to follow this appr...
The first few weeks of the olive harvest in Puglia confirmed that the 2022/23 crop year would be challenging for farmers in Italy’s largest olive oil-producing region. Olive yields are so low in certain areas that some growers are not bothering to harvest, and some millers are not opening their facilities. Growers who have decided to harvest also face significant cost increases, while millers deciding to open up for the season are confronting skyrocketing energy prices. “The conditions for a complex harvesting season were very clear weeks ago, and now here we are, in a scenario which is probably even more challenging than forecasted,” Elia Pellegrino, president of the Italian association of olive oil millers (AIFO), told Olive Oil Times. The ongoing drought, repeated summer heatwaves and many farmers entering an ‘off-year’ in the natural alternate bearing cycle of the olive tree have created conditions that are expected to yield an abysmal harvest. Along with these factors, the southern areas of Puglia continue to face the slow expansion of Xylella fastidiosa, an olive tree-killing bacteria. Xylella fastidiosa is increasingly present in Brindisi and Lecce provinces. Affected areas have seen their yields fall between 50 and 70 percent compared to the average before the appearance of Xylella fastidiosa. “If we look at the whole of Apulian olive production, we do not have a 30 percent drop as some had predicted,” Pellegrino said. “We are running way lower than that. In Bari, and probably in the rest of the region, we are at 30 percent of available production, which means that millers are only working a few hours per day,” he added. “There are not many olives, and energy costs remain high.” Millers are the main middlemen between growers and retailers, purchasing olives from the former to transform them into oil for the latter to resell. As a result, they are exposed to the most financial risk when buying expensive olives during a time of rising production costs with no guarantee that they will receive high enough prices from retailers to cover their costs. “If we look at the costs for growers which derive from the number of fruits on the trees and if we take into account the operating costs for millers, at the moment we do not have a sustainable economy for the transformation business,” Pellegrino said. According to olive farmer associations, it is time for the whole production chain to develop a solidarity mechanism through which all parts absorb the costs of seasonal production uncertainties. “The message from the current campaign is the need for all stakeholders to sit down at the negotiating table,” Pellegrino said. “Not only growers and millers but also producers and large retailers, so that the olive oil market and prices stay where they need to be to ensure a minimum amount of support for all parties.” Luca Lazzàro, president of Confagricoltura Puglia, a farmers’ association, said regional olive production is expected to fall by 50 percent compared to last year. “If we also consider the fuel costs, which have doubled, we can see why some olive growers have decided to leave fruits on the trees,” he said. “We need immediate public support. We risk this campaign affecting consumers, hurting producers and impoverishing the families of the sector’s workers. Most olive growers are already exhausted after almost 10 years of struggling against Xylella fastidiosa.” The only good news for the sector comes from oleotourism. Warm weather has coincided with a national holiday, leading some Italians to visit farmhouses in Puglia. According to the Coldiretti Puglia, another farmers’ association, the demand for agri-tourism experiences remains strong, and the number of active farmhouses in the region has grown two percent in the last year. Of the more than 950 companies, 91 percent offer accommodation, 72 percent focus on food services and 47 percent offer wine and olive oil tasting events. Local authorities recently approved a new law ...
In Turkey, initial estimates for the current crop year suggested a higher yield of olive oil than the 228,000 tons produced in 2021/22. However, the official yield forecast released last week exceeded expectations, projecting the country’s olive oil crop to exceed 400,000 tons this year, a record high. Official provisional figures for table olives also indicate a record harvest of more than 700,000 tons in Turkey. “It is estimated that total table olive production will be 735,678 tons, an increase of 45 percent compared to the 2021/22 season,” Mustafa Tan, the chairman of the board of the Turkish national olive and olive oil council which coordinated the forecast studies, told Olive Oil Times. “A total of 421,717 tons of olive oil will be obtained with an increase of 79 percent compared to the 2021/22 season,” he added. Tan attributed the country’s expected record olive oil and table olive yields to the advantageous weather conditions prevailing in Turkey and the purposeful campaign to advance the country’s olive oil production potential. “We have the most favorable climatic conditions and, therefore, [the olive trees] were relatively little affected by climate change,” he said. “We set the goal of ranking second in the world in 2007. To achieve this goal, with incentives from our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the number of fruit-bearing and non-fruit-bearing trees has increased from 100 to 120 million to 168 to 196 million.” Due to its geographical location between Europe and Asia on the northeastern side of the Mediterranean basin, Turkey avoided the unfavorable dry and hot weather that affected large parts of western and southern Europe in the summer. The region’s worst drought in the past 500 years has partially resulted in abnormally low yields across most of Europe’s olive oil-producing nations. Tan also indicated that Turkish producers and exporters might be able to fill the gap in international markets. “This record level of our yield shows that we can create a very important opportunity, especially in terms of our foreign trade,” he said. “We believe that Turkey will be able to meet a significant amount of the supply shortages experienced in other countries. We can get out of this global crisis together.” Tan added the vast olive oil and table olives harvest projected for Turkey could further fuel domestic consumption. “Such a full crop year could lead to a significant increase in domestic consumption of olive oil and table olives in Turkey,” he said. “In particular, a significant portion of the foreign currency loss due to the shortages and imports of oils such as sunflower oil can be met with olive oil, creating added value both domestically and internationally and contributing to our country’s economy.” The projections of a bumper olive harvest in Turkey are being reflected in the words of producers from across the country. “Turkey will have a new record for olive oil quantity this year,” Cem Erdilek, the general manager of Darvari Gida Tarim, an award-winning producer from the Geyliki region near the Dardanelles Strait in northwest Turkey, told Olive Oil Times. “In all regions of Turkey, the [olive] trees are full of fruits, as we hear from our friends and from the people who are into the olive and olive oil business,” he added. “Our harvest will end around the middle of November, and we are sure that we will double our quantity of olive oil compared to last year.” However, Erdilek expressed some reservations about whether olive oil prices at origin will be favorable for producers throughout the crop year. He also identified rising production costs as a significant burden for producers to shoulder. “Harvesting labor costs have doubled this year, and all other related costs are also too high,” he said. “To protect ourselves against inflation, we are investing in harvesting tools and equipment to decrease the cost of harvest.” Meanwhile, the country’s first state-licensed warehouse for storing olive oil a...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of the country’s largest table olive and olive oil mill earlier this month. Operated by the Absheron Olive Gardens, the mill was opened in the country’s most productive olive-growing region ahead of an anticipated boom in production. “We plan to make maximum use of unused land for olive production, especially here on the Absheron Peninsula and in some other areas of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev told the event, according to local media. Olive trees have dotted the Absheron peninsula for centuries and are one of its main crops. However, plans are underway to plant nearly 700 hectares of Manzanillo, Arbequina, Arbosana, Blanqueta, Koreneiki, Gemlik and Imperial olives on reclaimed land created by clearing rocky soil west of the capital. Once completed, the project will cover 3,000 hectares of reclaimed land, with 1,000 hectares of olive groves planned for the coming years. “We have created such a beautiful complex on a vacant piece of land,” Aliyev said. “Throughout history, there was nothing here.” Absheron Olive Gardens said they expect to eventually harvest 10 tons of olives per hectare in the new groves, which will be equipped with an automated irrigation system. This year, the company expects to produce two to three tons of olives per hectare, prompting its decision to invest in the new mill. The company added that it expects to transform these olives into 4,000 tons of olive oil, half of which will be exported. Aliyev thanked the Italian consultants who helped construct the mill and said new projects would likely follow the mill’s completion as olive growing expands on the peninsula. “I think that this is why our cooperation with your company will be of strategic importance,” he said. “Because there is potential here, in Absheron, as well as in the reclaimed areas.” “Of course, everything will have to be evaluated – the land, the climate, the productivity,” he added. “But we have serious plans to become an important producer. We also have plans to create thousands of jobs and local production throughout the country.” During the ceremony, Absheron Olive Gardens executives emphasized the need to foster an olive oil consumption culture in Azerbaijan, raising awareness about its health benefits and organoleptic qualities. The opening of the new mill comes five months after Aliyev met with officials from the International Olive Council at its June meeting in Amman, Jordan, to discuss joining the international governing body of table olive and olive oil production. “Azerbaijan will join the family of countries that produce and export olives and olive oil,” Aliyev confirmed at the ceremony.
If we manage to get some or many of the prototypes into the commercial phase. it will make the Spanish olive grove more competitive and facilitate its international expansion– Jesús Gil Ribes, scientific director, Innolivar After four years, the researchers behind the Innolivar project presented some of their work at the University of Córdoba in Andalusia. The project focused on developing 12 separate pieces of technology and lines of investigation related to the mechanization of olive groves, improving sustainability, climate change mitigation tactics and developing biotechnology and traceability technology. Since the project began in 2017, researchers from the university and their partners in the private sector have worked to develop new patents and build prototypes that will eventually be sold to olive farmers and oil producers in response to what some of the industry’s largest stakeholders told the researchers they needed most. Among the technologies developed by the researchers were two meant to help both traditional growers and high-density farmers. For traditional growers, the researchers developed a “multipurpose vehicle for work in sloping olive groves that are difficult to mechanize.” Jesús Gil Ribes, a professor of agroforestry at the University of Córdoba and the project’s scientific director, told Olive Oil Times the researchers decided to develop this project due to the high number of deaths in Spain caused by overturned tractors, which he estimated at one each week. “In Andalusia, the main producing region, with almost 80 percent of the total, there are more than half a million hectares with average slopes greater than 15 percent and more than a quarter of a million with more than 25 percent,” he said. The new vehicles feature articulated joints on each of the four independent wheels, which along with the help of hydraulic cylinders, allow the vehicle to change its track width and center of gravity while moving on slopes. “In addition, the cabin is self-leveling, and the tractor can work on side slopes of up to 45 percent,” Gil Ribes added. As a result, the new vehicle will allow traditional farmers to work on steeper slopes. He added that the vehicle also features numerous hitches, allowing farmers to use different tools simultaneously. Meanwhile, the researchers have manufactured a self-propelled harvester for high-density groves to quickly and efficiently gather the olives. Gil Ribes said the idea behind this machine is to reduce the number of people required to harvest the olives. Instead of the traditional teams of 10 people, including the machine operatory and crew that helped move the canvas and collect the fallen fruit, the new machine will reduce the number to two or three. The goal of these harvesters is to reduce the cost of collecting olives. However, Gil Ribes said they could also be adapted to other crops, including citrus and almonds. “There are two types of combines developed,” he said. “Those based on trunk vibration and simultaneous mechanical shaking of the crown, which is done by olive growers who are riding harvesters on intensive [high-density] olive groves and who need the help of automated support systems to detect trunks by the vibrator clamp and for its vibration. This work is intermittent.” There are also “those based on lateral cup shakers equipped with trunk detection systems that allow their driving to be semi-automated and olive tree crown detection systems so that the shaker elements can automatically adapt to them. This work is continuous,” Gil Ribes added. “Both types require adapted pruning, which is not too demanding, and they have remote tracking and harvest monitoring systems,” he continued. Researchers also investigated new olive varieties to adapt to high-density and super-high-density groves. Sikitita, Sikitita Dos, Martina and seven advanced selections from the University of Córdoba and the Andalusian Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (IFAPA) breeding ...
Amid ongoing political and economic turmoil, the olive harvest is getting underway in Lebanon, and producers around the country anticipate a bountiful harvest. “As far as quantity, the harvest is much better this year,” Ibrahim Al Kaakour, the owner of Genco Olive Oil, told Olive Oil Times. “Last year, there was a very big drought which decreased both quantity and quality.” Al Kaakour buys olives from all four corners of Lebanon to produce his blends, which he mainly exports. He added that he is still at the beginning of the harvest but expects to produce about 40 to 50 tons of olive oil. Official production estimates have not been published, but International Olive Council data show that Lebanon produced 21,500 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, slightly above the rolling five-year average of 19,200 tons. Al Kaakour and other producers interviewed by Olive Oil Times expect this year’s harvest to exceed last year’s and possibly the 26,000 tons produced in the 2020/21 crop year, which would make this the second-largest yield since records began. Al Kaakour attributed the bountiful harvest to higher levels of precipitation throughout the year, topped off by timely rain just before olive picking began in October. Last year, it did not rain significantly in Lebanon until December, which decreased the quantity of olives that developed on the trees and the quality of the oil produced. Walid Mushantaf, the co-owner of Bustan el Zeitoun, located in southern Lebanon, told Olive Oil Times that he was expecting one of his best harvests. “For sure, we had difficulties, but this season is one of the best in the past four or five years,” he said. “Quality and quantity are good.” He also attributed the bumper crop to plentiful and timely rains. In previous years, rain coincided with the blossoming of the olive trees in May, which prevented pollination from occurring. On the other side of Lebanon, Karim Arsanio, the owner of Solar Olives, is close to completing his harvest and expects to produce about 3.5 tons of olive oil. “This year was much better than last year in terms of quantity,” he told Olive Oil Times. “We got approximately two to three times what we got last year in terms of yield.” Arsanio is in his third year of production and said his business also is focused mainly on exports. He ships about 80 percent of his output abroad to bring in hard currencies, including dollars and Euros, to pay for his ever-rising production expenses. Chief among these expenses is the cost of electricity and fuel. Large swaths of Lebanon have not enjoyed round-the-clock electrical coverage since the 1990s. As a result, most producers rely on generators to power their mills. Compounding their challenges, Lebanon’s state electricity provider recently raised its prices for the first time in more than three decades. “We are not getting electricity from the power stations,” Al Kaakour said. “Mills are now using their own generators, and the price is much higher than getting electricity from the government.” Al Kaakour used to pay $0.09 per kilowatt hour from the government. Now those prices are closer to $0.20 per kilowatt hour for one or two hours of electricity per day. Using his generator, Al Kaakour estimates that he is paying about $0.60 per kilowatt hour. “Costs have been skyrocketing, especially energy costs,” Arsanio confirmed. “They’ve doubled, even tripled, compared to last year.” Rising energy costs make everything more expensive. Away from his mill, Mushantaf relies on electricity to power his irrigation system. He lamented that increasing prices for fertilizer and pesticides have also made production much more expensive. As a result of rampant inflation in Lebanon, which is experiencing the second-highest inflation rate globally in 2022, Mushantaf has essentially given up on the local market. “We are mainly focused on exports because purchasing power in Lebanon has fallen dramatically,” he said. According to World Bank data, annual ...
The European Union and Morocco have signed a deal worth €115 million to support the North African country’s agricultural and forestry sectors. Known as the Terra Verte (green earth) program, the funds will be used to invest in food production, agricultural development and biodiversity protection. At first, the initiative will be rolled out in four pilot regions, with plans to expand depending on its success. The European Commission said the project’s primary goals are to develop a sustainable agricultural and forestry value chain in the country and equitably create jobs. “Morocco has just experienced the worst drought in 40 years, threatening water and agricultural systems,” said Olivér Várhelyi, the European commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement. “In addition, the war in Ukraine is exacerbating tensions in the food markets, including in the E.U.’s southern neighborhood region.” The funds are expected to supplement two Moroccan development strategies: Generation Green and Moroccan Forests. The government said Generation Green is meant to invest in rural communities and provide new opportunities, especially for young farmers, through mechanization and modernization of existing infrastructure. Mohammed Sadiki, the country’s agricultural and forestry minister, told local media in a March 2022 interview that Generation Green promotes food security and food sovereignty while adding value to agricultural products. One of the project’s goals is to expand agricultural cultivation areas, including olives. According to the International Olive Council, Morocco produced 200,000 tons of olive oil and 130,000 tons of table olives in the 2021/22 crop year. Since records began in 1990, olive yields in the country have increased steadily. As of last year, Morocco was the world’s sixth-largest olive oil and table olive producer. Meanwhile, the Moroccan Forests strategy will plant 600,000 trees, comprising more than eight different species, by 2030. The government added that the effort would also incentivize local populations to practice sustainable forestry. Frans Timmermans, executive vice president for the European Green Deal, said the Terra Verte program recognized the importance of Morocco to the “green transition.” “The support to Moroccan agriculture and forestry provided through this program shows that the E.U. is on Morocco’s side in the fight against the climate and biodiversity crises,” he added.
The cumulative impact of tillage, harvesting operations and water and wind erosion have been evaluated for the first time at a European scale to determine the consequences of these factors on arable land. A new report published in Nature Sustainability shows that almost half of European farmland face at least one driver of soil erosion. According to the European Union Joint Research Center (JRC), which authored the study, there are about 100 million hectares of arable land in the E.U. “Our estimates show that 43 million hectares are vulnerable to a single driver of erosion, 15.6 million hectares to two drivers and 0.81 million hectares to three or more drivers,” the researchers wrote. “About 3.2 million hectares of arable land are vulnerable to the possible interaction of increased flood, drought, water and wind erosion.” The study also found that soil displacement by water is the most significant form of erosion, representing 51 percent of the total displacement and involving 57 percent of the total area. “Soil displacement due to water erosion in the E.U. is estimated to be equal to a 1-centimeter displacement of soil annually from an area twice the size of Belgium,” the researchers wrote. The research also identified tillage as the second-largest driver of soil displacement, accounting for 36 percent of the whole. Wind erosion and crop harvesting came in right after, with 10 and 2.7 percent, respectively. Understanding and assessing soil erosion is crucial to the future of food production and the environment, as the soil is the foundation of agriculture and ecosystems. According to the JRC, changes in soil quality “affect the provision of food, water supply and regulation, and carbon sequestration. Good soil is a major microbial gene pool from which we extract biomedical resources; lower soil quality puts this process in question.” Soil erosion results in the loss of agricultural productivity, reduces soil stability, changes soil structure and reduces soil biology capacity and water retention. Erosion also results in the loss of soil nutrients and impairs “all major functions of soil, not only its productivity,” the researchers noted. The JRC researchers said the study constitutes a set of predictions that should serve as the basis for developing “an efficient stratified monitoring network and informing targeted mitigation strategies under the Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027.” The Common Agricultural Policy is an E.U. subsidy program designed to “support farmers and improve agricultural productivity.” To counteract soil erosion, the researchers recommended reducing tillage intensity and increasing vegetative cover on arable land. “These actions are beneficial to the functional agro-biodiversity of the farming system,” they wrote. Following these recommendations and other good farming practices might reduce tillage erosion by 27 percent, water erosion by 20 percent and wind erosion by 9 percent. The researchers said soil assessment and conservation measures would become increasingly important due to climate change. The JRC said the current soil erosion assessment is the first of its kind and is considered a basis for developing a comprehensive monitoring system of soil health on the continent. “Europe is moving toward a more vigorous hydrological cycle which will exacerbate the erosion impact. future geography and rates of erosion may be substantially altered by climate change,” they wrote. “The road to the sustainable, carbon-neutral and biodiversity-friendly system of agriculture advocated for in the E.U. Green Deal goes through a thematic strategy for soil protection from multiple concurrent erosion processes,” the researchers added. The JRC said there are currently only a handful of soil erosion survey programs worldwide, notably the United States National Cooperative survey and the Chinese National General Survey Program on Soil and Water Conservation. The new research will be part of the “E.U. soil strategy for...
Olive growing in Bosnia and Herzegovina has great potential, especially in Herzegovina, the southernmost and smaller of the two regions, where this year’s olive harvest is ending. “The crop is better than last year. The fruits are healthy,” Mirko Škegro, an award-winning olive oil producer and winemaker, told Olive Oil Times. His groves comprise 600 olive trees, of which 50 to 60 are already bearing fruit. From these trees, he has received 250 liters of extra virgin olive oil. “I picked olives when one-third of the fruit on the trees was green, the second third was mottled, and the third was black,” Škegro said. His Žilavka and Blatina wines regularly win medals at Decanter in London. In addition, his Krš extra virgin olive oil, crafted from Oblica and other autochthonous varieties, has won consecutive awards at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. “I go to the most recognized competitions,” Škegro said. “In New York, my oils have been awarded five times in a row, and I hope for a sixth as well.” The Škegro family farm is located in the hills of western Herzegovina in the town of Radišići, between 132 and 312 meters above sea level and less than 30 miles from the Adriatic Sea. The area is a local hotspot for endemic biodiversity, partially due to the combination of the Mediterranean and continental climates, resulting in hot days and cold nights that suits both vines and olives. The olives are immediately processed in the modern mill of the Kiwi Oil Company, owned by Dragan Mikulić, who has the largest olive grove in Herzegovina with 7,000 trees, comprised of mostly Oblica, along with Istarska Bjelica, Buža, Leccino and Pendolino at 220 meters above sea level. Mikulić, like most other olive growers in Herzegovina, is more than satisfied with this year’s harvest. “We just finished harvesting,” he said. Mikulić said this harvest was “crazy” and required 100 people to harvest more than 200 tons of fruit during three consecutive weeks. Growers yielded about 25 tons of extra virgin olive oil from these fruits. With this year’s bountiful harvest as evidence, Mikulić asserted that Herzegovina is ideal for olive growing. “We have water, plenty of sun and winds that benefit the olive trees,” he said. Despite the drought, the harvest was exceptional. The olives were healthy. There were no moths or olive fruit flies, and the crop was up to three times larger than last year’s, especially in irrigated olive groves. “When it’s a dry year, the grapes and olive oil always are of better quality,” Mikulić said. He has two 300-meter-deep wells in his olive grove, from which he draws water into pools and irrigates all his trees with a drip system. “Without water, there is no olive growing,” Mikulić said. The producer also expects the quality of this year’s oils will be excellent. However, he added that prices would rise despite the record harvest. Branded extra virgin olive oil will sell for 40 Convertible Marks (€20.45), the local currency, per liter.The price increases come from significant increases in production costs. As they are elsewhere, these cost increases are driven by inflation and rising energy prices. As a result, labor, equipment, milling, packaging material and even labeling costs have more than doubled compared to last year. Nevertheless, Mikulić believes he will sell all the extra virgin olive oil produced this year. “It will end up mostly abroad through private channels as an extremely desirable and high-quality delicacy,” he said. Due to its proximity to the shrine in Medjugorje, a popular tourist destination, Mikulić said he sells plenty of his olive oil to the visitors. Quite a few also visit Mikulić’s mill, olive grove and tasting room. They buy olive oil that ends up on the tables of Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and other non-olive-oil-producing European countries. Overall, there are seven olive mills in Herzegovina – Mikulić’s mill, another two in Ljubuško and Čapljina, three much smaller ones and a large mil...
A new United Nations report has found that the increasingly evident impacts of climate change will not be averted if the largest greenhouse gas emitters do not step up their efforts to reduce their environmental impact. Ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), the world’s leading intergovernmental organization warned that current plans are vastly insufficient. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) report found that current climate pledges would lead to surface temperatures climbing 2.5 °C above pre-industrial levels in the coming decades. The 2.5 ºC increase would be one degree above the limits set by the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate, which set the goal of keeping global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels this century. Recent research found multiple climate tipping points would likely be triggered by 1.5 ºC of warming with devastating impacts on agriculture and biodiversity. The researchers said that 2.5 ºC of warming would be even more consequential. They predicted that some areas of the planet would become virtually uninhabitable, agriculture would suffer from even more extreme heatwaves and wildfires, biodiversity loss on land and in the oceans would accelerate and large swaths of coastal areas would sink below the rising sea level. The UNFCC said that, if enacted, current climate plans would result in an almost 11 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, compared with 2010 levels. However, the organization added that this increase would be slightly below last year’s estimate of almost 14 percent, indicating some progress has been made. In 2019, the researchers at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wrote that emissions should be reduced by 43 percent by 2030 to avert further global warming. “The downward trend in emissions expected by 2030 shows that nations have made some progress this year,” said Simon Stiell, the UNFCC executive secretary. “But the science is clear, and so are our climate goals under the Paris Agreement,” he added. “We are still nowhere near the scale and pace of emission reductions required to put us on track toward a 1.5 ºC world.” According to Stiell, national governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them in the next eight years. However, not many countries seem keen to make the difficult decisions required to enact these plans. According to the UNFCC, during COP26 in Glasgow, 193 nations said they would announce new climate plans. However, only 24 have submitted their updated plans to the U.N. climate unit. “It’s disappointing,” Stiell said. “Government decisions and actions must reflect the level of urgency, the gravity of the threats we are facing, and the shortness of the time we have remaining to avoid the devastating consequences of runaway climate change.” When it comes to long-term net-zero strategies, the UNFCC indicated that some progress had been made. Sixty-two countries have net-zero plans in place. Combined, these countries are home to 47 percent of the global population, account for 83 percent of the Gross Domestic Product and are responsible for 69 percent of energy use. The UNFCC said these plans are “a strong signal that the world is starting to aim for net-zero emissions.” Still, they warned that “many net-zero targets remain uncertain and postpone into the future critical action that needs to take place now.” COP27 is scheduled to run from November 6th to November 18th in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. It will be the latest in a series of global climate-related meetings that started in 1992 in Brazil. In the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 197 nations pledged to support the creation of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its U.N. Climate Change secretariat. The treaty signed at the time aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere “to prevent dangerous interference ...
La Unión Extremadura, an agricultural union, has called on the central government to expand previously announced wage subsidies from seasonal workers to olive growers. In October, the government lowered the minimum number of work days required for agricultural laborers to access unemployment support from 20 to 10 days in Andalusia and Extremadura. The central government cited Spain’s precipitous production decrease, which has led many olive farmers to reduce the number of workdays dramatically. The decrease has been especially felt in Extremadura, Spain’s third-largest olive oil-producing region, home to 11 percent of the country’s olive groves. APAG Extremadura Asaja estimated the region would have its worst olive harvest in history. “If the government of Spain understands that there has been a drastic decrease in production, especially in olive groves, due to climatological phenomena (drought and heat) and that for this reason, the workers must be helped, why not help the farmers who have suffered these climatological adversities,” the union said. The union predicted that olive oil production in the region would decrease by 60 percent, while table olive production is expected to fall by 70 percent. Compounding the expectations of a poor harvest are rising production costs, including fuel, electricity and fertilizer. “Neither the Ministry of Agriculture nor the Junta de Extremadura has plans to help these producers,” the union wrote. “In addition to suffering these losses, their situation is aggravated by the impressive increase in production costs.” In an indirect response to the union, Begoña García, the regional agriculture minister, told a conference that the government is committed to the olive sector. “[The Junta de Extremadura] is 100 percent committed to the growth, improvement and innovation of the sector,” he said, pointing out that 250,000 had been earmarked for the development of the sector over the next half-decade. “Extremadura, together with the west of Andalusia and Portugal, is the engine of the increase in the area of olive groves in Spain,” he concluded.
The atmospheric concentrations of the three major greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – reached new record highs in 2021, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO noted how methane concentrations grew strikingly in its Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. Between 2020 and 2021, methane emissions increased at their fastest rate since monitoring began in 1983, rising from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 18 ppb. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, methane’s presence affects Earth’s temperature and climate systems. Its concentration has grown during the last two centuries “largely due to human-related activities.” Methane traps 25 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Still, the WMO scientists said the reasons for the more recent rapid increase are uncertain. “Analysis indicates that the largest contribution to the renewed increase in methane since 2007 comes from biogenic sources, such as wetlands or rice paddies,” they wrote. “It is not yet possible to say if the extreme increases in 2020 and 2021 represent climate feedback; if it gets warmer, the organic material decomposes faster,” the scientists added. “If it decomposes in the water (without oxygen), this leads to methane emissions. Thus, if tropical wetlands become wetter and warmer, more emissions are possible.” According to the WMO, emissions from fossil fuel and cement production in 2021 have increased the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 149 percent above pre-industrial levels. “Of the total emissions from human activities during the 2011 to 2020 period, about 48 percent accumulated in the atmosphere, 26 percent in the ocean and 29 percent on land,” the WMO wrote. According to the World Ocean Review, carbon dioxide concentrations were largely stable during the 12,000 years between the last ice age and the Industrial Revolution. “This relatively stable CO2 concentration suggests that the pre-industrial carbon cycle was largely in equilibrium with the atmosphere,” scientists wrote. “Since the beginning of the industrial age, increasing amounts of additional carbon have entered the atmosphere annually in the form of carbon dioxide.” It is believed that since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, human activities have released approximately 400 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In its bulletin, the WMO also noted a growing percentage of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas considered 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat. Fifty-seven percent of nitrous oxide emissions are estimated to be generated by natural sources. The rest are associated with soil use, biomass burning, fertilizers and industrial processes. “The increase from 2020 to 2021 was slightly higher than that observed from 2019 to 2020 and higher than the average annual growth rate over the past 10 years,” the WMO wrote. According to the EPA, nitrous oxide accounted for about 7 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in 2020. “Human activities such as agriculture, fuel combustion, wastewater management, and industrial processes are increasing the amount of N2O in the atmosphere,” the EPA wrote. One of the most relevant variables to determine the impact of any specific greenhouse gas is how long the gas remains intact before being sequestered or chemically reacting. According to EPA, nitrous oxide can remain intact for 114 years, methane for 12 years and carbon dioxide for a period spanning between 300 and 1,000 years.
Drought has crippled agricultural activities across Spain and Italy, traditionally the world’s two largest olive oil producers. After a dry winter and an even drier spring and summer, the lack of significant rainfall has continued into the autumn. The rain recently reported in a few regions did not ameliorate both countries’ severe water scarcity. The ongoing drought has dried up the soils and severely affected various cultivations. For example, rice production, a heavily water-dependent crop, is expected to decline between 70 and 80 percent in both countries. Farmers in Italy and Spain usually count on rain in the autumn and winter fall to replenish aquifers, rivers and reservoirs after traditionally dry summers. However, this did not happen last year, and officials are worried that it may not happen again. Rivers, reservoirs and lakes – all of which are crucial for irrigation – remain at very low levels. According to the National Meteorologic Agency (Aemet), Spain has experienced a 63 percent drop in rainfall compared to the historical average. Between October 1st and 11th, 9 millimeters of rain fell compared to the 24-millimeter average. The country is experiencing its third driest year since 1961. Aemet scientists believe there is a 70 percent chance that there will be a lack of significant rainfall in the current crop year, especially in the center and west of the country, which are the areas most affected by the drought. Italy is not faring any better. In its latest update, the National Research Council’s drought observatory warned that 30 percent of the country, mostly in the north, is experiencing a “severe to extreme” drought. The observatory noted how sparse September rainfall did not reach the driest Italian regions. “As it was easy to predict, while not being a solution to the harsh water deficit, such rainfall events have been in some cases very intense and damaging due to dry and compact soil and to more energy accumulated by the climate system in these hot months,” the report said. Other relevant European olive oil-producing countries, such as Portugal, have seen some improvement from the severity of the long drought. According to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, only 0.2 percent of the country was experiencing “extreme drought” at the end of September. However, more than 32 percent of the country is still affected by “severe drought.” The European Drought Observatory’s latest data show that 27 percent of continental Europe is now considered an “alert zone,” meaning there is a precipitation deficit, increased soil moisture anomalies and vegetation growth anomalies. The Italian consortia for water reclamation and irrigation (Anbi) warned that the continent’s drought now stretches from the Iberian peninsula to Moldova and from northwestern Italy to southern England. Anbi criticized the “silence” of the European Commission regarding the ongoing drought. “It is obvious that the climate crisis is fully involving Europe and that the problem must be addressed within a E.U- framework, for which we have been working for some time through [the association] Irrigants d’Europe,” said Francesco Vincenzi, the Anbi president. “It is clear, however, Brussels’ resounding delay on these issues, which affects not only the environment and quality of life but also the shared goal of food self-sufficiency,” he concluded.
The European Commission will delay its plans to adopt a harmonized Europe-wide nutrition label before March 2023, according to Italy’s European Union representation. The executive governing body of the European Union is also unlikely to recommend a single existing label, a commission spokesperson said. Instead, the commission will submit a new proposal for overall nutritional food labeling in Europe by the end of the year and make a final decision by the end of the second quarter in 2023. The announcement was made after Nutri-Score, a traffic-light-style front-of-pack-label (FOPL) widely considered the front-runner, was criticized by food industry groups and Italian politicians at a roundtable debate of nutrition science held at the European Parliament. Stefano Verrecchia, the Italian ambassador to the E.U., said Nutri-Score ignored national dietary traditions and “artificially” classified some foods as healthy or unhealthy. However, a European Commission spokesperson told Food Navigator the food labeling proposal is “scheduled for adoption in the coming months.” “The commission is still assessing the outcome of the past impact assessment and consultations it held with member states and stakeholders,” the source added. “No decision has been taken yet on how sustainable food labeling will be exactly framed and regulated.” However, the spokesperson suggested that none of the front-of-pack schemes currently under consideration would be adopted, with elements from each incorporated into a completely separate FOPL. “The different options which the commission will put forward will build on already existing formats already developed in the European Union, such as Nutri-Score (France), Nutrinform Battery (Italy) or the Keyhole (Sweden),” the source said. Since its voluntary introduction in 2017, Nutri-Score has become a polarizing topic in the 27-member bloc. France and Belgium have adopted voluntary use of the FOPL, with Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg announcing the future implementation of the FOPL. Its supporters, which include a coalition of 300 European scientists and health professionals, believe Nutri-Score is the only FOPL with proven efficacy in helping consumers make healthy choices. However, Italy has spearheaded the efforts to derail the adoption of Nutri-Score, both nationally and on the European level. Politicians, agriculture unions and other food industry lobbyists argue that low Nutri-Score ratings for olive oil and traditional cheese and meat products will hurt farmers. However, a survey of French consumers found that Nutri-Score ratings did not penalize traditional food products. Regardless, Italy’s anti-trust authorities prohibited Nutri-Score ratings on some products in August. The month before, the county’s market watchdog declined to approve a new food rating mobile application in the country until it lowered the influence of Nutri-Score ratings on its algorithm. Serge Herberg, a nutrition professor at the Université of Sorbonne Paris Nord’s medical school and co-creator of Nutri-Score, lamented the recent commission announcement. He did not withhold his criticism on what he believes is a concerted food industry effort to sabotage the debate over nutrition labeling in comments to Food Navigator. “[The nutrition science roundtable debate contained] all the usual fake news disseminated against Nutri-Score, especially cheese and processed meats sectors and their representatives and lobbies,” he said. “There is a lot of disinformation trying without any scientific basis to discredit Nutri-Score with a total negation of the science,” Hercbeg added. “If the European Commission favors science and public health, Nutri-Score should be chosen,” Hercberg concluded. “If not, considering that Nutri-Score is too ‘polarizing,’ we may consider that the European Commission has yielded to the agri-food lobbies.”
The fate of human health around the globe is “at the mercy of a persistent fossil fuel addiction,” according to a report published in The Lancet, a leading medical journal. The 99 researchers involved in the report concluded that government and private sector reliance on fossil fuels had exacerbated food insecurity, increased the spread of infectious diseases and made heat-related illnesses more prevalent. The report warned that the costs of climate change inaction on global health would compile those of the Covid-19 pandemic, current armed conflicts and macroeconomic challenges. The experts found that heatwaves resulted in 98 million more people reporting moderate to medium food insecurity in 2020 compared to the average of the 30-year period ending in 2010. They said that 29 percent more land area was affected by extreme drought from 2012 to 2021 than in the same period 70 years before, which has increased food and water insecurity, threatened sanitation, exacerbated wildfires and raised the risk of infectious diseases spreading. The report also found that rising annual average temperatures have elongated the breeding season for mosquitos, increasing the transmission of dengue, yellow fever and the parasite that causes heartworm by more than 10 percent in the past 10 years compared to the same period 70 years ago. The researchers added that climate change has also expanded the geographic range for these types of diseases as well as food-borne and waterborne diseases. The report further found that heat-related deaths have increased by two-thirds since 2001. The experts pointed out that extreme heat has a range of health impacts, such as aggravating respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, increasing heat stroke and hurting mental health. While the report painted a grim picture, the authors finished with an optimistic call to action and said immediate steps to lower emissions would still save millions of lives. However, they warned that this would require a greatly accelerated transition away from fossil fuels. Meanwhile, a separate report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released right after the Lancet report highlighted the extent of the challenge presented by fossil fuel extractions. The WMO found that atmospheric concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases reached record highs in 2021, indicating the burning of fossil fuels continued to increase despite substantial investment in renewable energy over the past decade. António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, told the BBC that the global community must re-prioritize climate change despite the distractions created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the global energy crisis and rampant inflation. “There has been a tendency to put climate change on the back burner,” he said. “If we are not able to reverse the present trend, we will be doomed.” “This is the defining issue of our time, nobody has the right to sacrifice international action on climate change for any reason,” Guterres concluded.
New research published in Nature Sustainability details the impacts of global food production on the environment. Its lead author believes that the four-year investigation – which used a 2017 United Nations report to examine nearly 99 percent of global food production on land and sea – offers people a way to evaluate how their eating patterns affect the planet and a sustainable pathway to fighting hunger. “This information helps us think better about the food we eat and the environmental pressure it has on our planet,” Ben Halpern, the director of the University of California-Santa Barbara’s Ecological Analysis and Synthesis Center, told Olive Oil Times. “The difficult news is it takes a little bit of work to think carefully about your diet.” Using freshwater consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, habitat disturbance and nutrient pollution, the researchers compared the cumulative environmental impact of producing one pound or kilogram for a wide range of foods. However, Halpern said that the team could not consider every environmental factor, such as deforestation, pesticide use and soil fertility degradation, due to a lack of data. Additionally, positive environmental impacts, such as the sequestration of carbon dioxide by tree crops, were not considered. “What we have here is a conservative estimate of those pressures because there are important factors missing,” he said. The study’s results demonstrated that meat production from cows and pigs and rice, wheat and oil crop production have the worst environmental impacts. However, how they negatively impact the environment is very different. The researchers found that 60 percent of the cumulative impact of raising cattle for beef comes from greenhouse gas emissions, with another 31 percent attributed to nutrient pollution and feed production. Meanwhile, most of the impacts of rice and wheat crops resulted from habitat disturbance and the immense amount of fresh water used. Overall, global food production uses about 50 percent of Earth’s habitable surface area, more than 70 percent of available freshwater and emits between 23 and 34 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to disaggregate the information into specific products,” Halpern said. As a result, olive oil production was grouped into a larger category with canola, cotton seed, sesame seed and sunflower oils. “We don’t know the individual contribution of each of those oil types because they’re not reported,” he added. However, Halpern said the scale of production is an important factor to keep in mind, as widely planted crops will take up more resources. As a result, he suggested that olive oil production has a relatively low environmental impact compared to other intensively grown oilseed crops. “Annual crops take a lot more water and a lot more land, so they are likely to have higher environmental pressures than olive oil,” Halpern said. While the researchers did not take carbon sequestration into account, previous studies have found that all three categories of olive groves – traditional, high-density and super-high-density – act as carbon sinks. In a 2021 study, researchers from the University of Jaén, Spain, found traditional rainfed olive groves sequester an estimated 5.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide for each kilogram of olive oil produced. This figure falls to 4.3 in irrigated olive groves. Meanwhile, high-density and super-high-density olive groves sequester 2.7 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of olive oil produced. Along with studying the impacts of each type of food production on the environment, the researchers also looked at food production impacts in each country. They found that five countries account for half of the global environmental impact of food production: the U.S., China, India, Brazil and Pakistan. The researchers also found that countries produce the same food with different environmental impacts. For example, they found the U.S. is 2.4 times m...
Winning the championship last year has brought us unexpected fame in our country. We are really happy not to have disappointed our fans.– Karol Podborozny, Team Poland For the second-straight year, a team from Poland triumphed at the World Olive Picking Championship in Croatia. Held in Postira, on the island of Brač, the Polish team hand-harvested 48 kilograms of olives, slightly edging second place Croatia by 4 kilograms. “We are really happy to have defended the title of the world champions, although we didn’t expect it,” said Karol Podborozny, team Poland’s captain. “Winning the championship last year has brought us unexpected fame in our country, so this year, apart from hard training and joyful expectation of this unique event, we also felt a lot of pressure,” she added. “We are really happy not to have disappointed our fans.” Last year, the Polish team tied with one from Israel, harvesting 48.6 kilograms of olives each, slightly edging out runners-up South Africa by 1.4 kilograms. In the fifth edition of the competition, 11 countries were represented by 10 teams (harvesters from the United States and Canada competed on the North American team), comprising two men and two women each. The eleventh team was comprised of digital nomads from Finland, the Netherlands, England and the U.S. The 44 competitors combined to harvest 331 kilograms of olives, down from the 396.8 kilograms harvested last year. The olives were later transformed into extra virgin olive oil at a local mill and will be sold under the island’s Protected Designation of Origin certification. The teams also competed in a trivia contest focusing on olive growing and olive oil production, with the team from Montenegro winning the category. Montenegro triumphed in the inaugural event in 2019. Organizers said the purpose of the contest is to promote olive growing and traditional products of Postira, a village of about 1,500 residents highly dependent on agriculture, fishing and tourism. The event has been organized every year since 2017 by local officials, the Postira Tourist Board and an agricultural cooperative. After winning the first and second editions of the competition, there was plenty of pressure on the Croatian team to win its record-setting third title this year. “We did our best, but we must admit that team Poland was better this time,” said Katja Cukrov, a local grower. Ivana Jelinčić, director of the Postira Tourist Board, celebrated the success of the event, which was awarded as the best creative experience in tourism in 2019 by the Creative Tourism Network. “I am very proud and happy that our championship brings olive lovers from all over the world to our small town every year,” she said. “The delighted reactions of the participants confirm again and again that we are on the right path and that this event promotes Postira tourism and olive growing in the best light. “The fantastic energy and atmosphere to which both the participants and the organizers jointly contribute keep us going for a long time and encourage us to be even more creative and even better each year,” Jelinčić concluded. Registration is already open for the sixth edition of the event, scheduled for October 2023.
The ongoing drought in large sections of the United States is expected to continue, according to the latest report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA indicated that the drought would likely continue in the central and western U.S. and may expand across the south and southeast of the country. One reason for the persistent drought is the continuation of the La Niña phenomenon for the third consecutive year, resulting in drier conditions in the southern half of the country, including California. On the other hand, wetter-than-average conditions are expected in the north-central and northwestern regions of the country. In its newly released winter outlook, the NOAA said warmer temperatures would be experienced in the southwest, along the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard. La Niña is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. In contrast, El Niño is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the same location. “During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the southeast and cooler than normal in the northwest,” the NOAA said. However, the impacts of the continuation of La Niña on the populations and agriculture are growingly significant. “Drought conditions are now present across approximately 59 percent of the country, but parts of the western U.S. and southern Great Plains will continue to be the hardest hit this winter,” said Jon Gottschalck, chief at the NOOA’s Operational Prediction Branch. “With the La Niña climate pattern still in place, drought conditions may also expand to the Gulf Coast,” he added. The lack of rainfall has already taken a toll on grain and soybean producers in the Midwest. The lack of precipitation has significantly lowered soil moisture, presenting problems for the current and future harvests. The NOAA report indicates that current drought conditions are the worst since 2012 and will profoundly impact staple crops, such as corn, wheat and soybeans. In the Colorado River basin in the southwest, thousands of farmers have protested cuts in water availability for irrigation due to the low river and reservoir levels caused by the drought. Seventy percent of Colorado river water usage is traditionally dedicated to agriculture. Meanwhile, the megadrought in California also continues to diminish water availability for irrigation. The Public Policy Institute of California said the prolonged extraordinary conditions continue to break records that date back to the late 1800s. For an agricultural sector worth $50 billion per annum, expectations that the drought will continue through the following spring come as worrying news. Furthermore, research published in Limnology and Oceanography Letters found that the increasing number and severity of heatwaves, which affect farming yields, soil conditions and river and stream ecology, have exacerbated the drought. Separate research on wildfires found the drought and heatwave-fueled natural disasters have more profound effects on the broader climate than previously thought. The study found that heat and aerosols produced during wildfires in the western U.S. may increase the intensity of storms in the Midwest. The heat from the wildfires impacts atmospheric pressure, generating wind that blows atmospheric moisture and other particles eastward, increasing rates of precipitation and hail, which could cause significant damage to crops. “This is the first study where we are really showing that wildfires can have a significant impact on the downstream weather,” Jiwen Fan, a researcher at the energy department, told The Guardian. However, he added the research would help develop more accurate predictive models about severe weather conditions caused by wildfires in areas far from blazes.
Olive growers in Jordan are on track to increase olive oil production by 20 to 25 percent in the 2022/23 crop year compared to the previous season. According to the government, overall olive oil yields should reach 30,000 tons. Minister of Agriculture Khaled Al-Hneifat said these figures mean production would be sufficient to cover internal consumption and some exports. International Olive Council data show that Jordan produced 22,000 tons of olive oil in the previous crop year. The Middle Eastern kingdom has yielded an average of 24,600 tons over the past five seasons. In the last 20 years, Jordan has produced more than 30,000 tons of olive oil just twice, yielding 37,000 tons in the 2006/07 crop year and 34,500 tons in 2019/20. Annual average national olive oil consumption sits at about 21,000 tons. Despite the expectations of a bountiful harvest, olive farmers faced plenty of challenges throughout the year. High temperatures and significant rain at a delicate moment allowed insects and fungus to breed in the olive groves over the summer. According to Mahmoud Oran, the Jordan Farmers Union’s (JFU) president, these challenges were compounded by low rainfall last winter, an unexpected March frost that damaged some trees during flowering and a 10-day heatwave at the end of August. According to Oran, the August heatwave delayed the planting of other crops and impacted productivity in rainfed olive groves. “Last year, a ripe olive fruit contained 17 to 19 percent oil,” he told local media. “This year, I believe that percentage won’t be higher than 15 percent.” While the new harvest gets underway in the country, uncertainties increase about retail olive oil prices. Mahmoud Al-Omari, the spokesman of a millers’ and producers’ union, told local media that the price of a 16-liter tin of olive oil might rise to 85 Jordanian dinars (JOD) (€121), meaning one liter of olive oil would be about JOD 5.30 (€7.60). On a local television program, Al-Hneifat said there was a need for continued government oversight at mills to ensure producers complied with quality standards. The ministry executes periodic checks at mills with the support of a special committee formed by experts in the olive sector. “We care about the olive harvest because it matters to every Jordanian household around the kingdom,” Al-Hneifat said.
Cheese producers in France are once again protesting against Nutri-Score, the nutritional front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) system created by scientists in the country. They fear that sales would be impacted negatively if the controversial food rating system is made mandatory by the European Commission. Nutri-Score ratings are currently voluntary in France. The new offensive against Nutri-Score comes on the heels of the recent update to the algorithm used to determine ratings. The National Council of PDO-Certified Specialties (CNAOL) asked the French government to ensure that cheese makers would be considered in the update. However, it did not help the ratings of most cheeses, including those with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification, which is reserved for traditional food specialties. Some ratings were even revised downward due to fat and salt contents penalized by Nutri-Score. “It’s disastrous,” council chairman Hubert Dubien said. “The modifications have made nothing better. It’s even worse for some [cheeses].” Cheese producers have criticized the algorithm update, arguing their traditionally-produced products should not receive the same rating as processed foods, including frozen pizzas and vanilla ice cream. Nutri-Score is a traffic-light-style FOPL that uses a combination of five coordinated colors and letters to rate how healthy a packaged food item is based on its fat, sugar, salt and calorie content per 100-gram or milliliter serving. The “Green A” indicates the healthiest option, and “Red E” denotes the least healthy. The creators and backers of Nutri-Score said the rating system is meant to help consumers make choices among products in the same category, such as edible oils, and is not meant for cross-comparisons. In response to the Nutri-Score ratings, the council released a document demonstrating the cultural qualities of PDO cheese production. The document showed that nearly 78 percent of PDO cheeses are made from raw milk, meaning the milk is not heated above 40 ºC before production. They also stated that 28 of 46 PDO kinds of cheese are exclusively made with raw milk. Producing cheese with raw milk preserves its micro-organisms, which influences the final taste of the cheese. The council argued that these micro-organisms are the essence of local cheese traditions. Meanwhile, in Italy, a member of the previous government, which lost power in the September elections, said Nutri-Score is unlikely to be adopted by the European Union as its mandatory FOPL. Stefano Patuanelli, the former agriculture minister, told Il Sole 24 Ore that “when we were put in charge [of the ministry], the fight against Nutri-Score seemed without hope. Instead, we can say that if the game has ended, it has ended for the traffic-light labeling system.” Italy has long been home to some of Nutri-Score’s most outspoken critics, with many rallying behind the rival Nutrinform Battery FOPL. According to Patuanelli, the European health commission’s general direction has already said that a traffic light FOPL does not provide enough information to consumers. However, the European Food Safety Agency and Joint Research Center found that FOPLs like Nutri-Score might influence consumers to make healthier choices. The European Commission said it will adopt a mandatory pan-European FOPL before March 2023.
The steep fall in estimated olive production in Spain has had a dramatic effect on employment opportunities for seasonal agricultural workers. Olive growers are currently reducing workdays in the groves as many producers are experiencing their worst harvest in recent memory. The central government in Madrid has approved new measures to ease the access to unemployment support for field laborers in Extremadura and Andalusia, two of the three largest olive oil-producing regions in Spain. A royal decree approved by the Council of Ministers has reduced the number of minimum workdays needed for agricultural workers to access unemployment support and agrarian income from 20 days to 10 days. Temporary workers are crucial for the olive sector, and extended public support has been activated already. The measures will allow seasonal workers to collect €460 per month. The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food estimated that olive oil production would drop to 780,000 tons in the 2022/23 crop year, 47 percent less than last season. “This figure, which represents a significant reduction compared to the previous year, has been due to the severe drought of the summer period in the main producing areas, which has caused problems in fruit set,” the ministry said. While estimates for the harvest are significantly lower than normal, the ministry said, “these estimates could increase according to the climatic evolution and rainfall that may occur in the coming weeks since the fruit is still in the process of oil accumulation.” In March, the government reduced the minimum number of workdays until the end of the year from 35 to 20. With the new measure, public support to temporary workers will be extended to June 2023. According to El Mundo, this is the first time in Spanish history that the minimum workdays needed to access public support are reduced to 10. In 1994, rural employment legislation signed by the government and unions was hailed as historical, and it set the minimum requirement to 40 workdays. In recent crop years, such as 2012 and 2019, when harvest decreased by 50 percent compared to previous seasons, the minimum requirement was set at 20 days, and it is credited with safeguarding seasonal laborers. The new royal decree, which went into effect immediately, also sought to safeguard consumers from excessive energy price rises and reconfigured the salaries in several public sector worker categories.
The representatives of almost 60 countries of nations more vulnerable to the effects of climate change have warned that “losses” and “damages” caused by the warming planet far outweigh their debts to richer countries. Restructuring global debt, they said, is crucial to tackling the growing crisis. Ahead of November’s COP27 United Nations climate change conference, they pointed out that their countries have suffered $525 billion in damages due to the effects of climate change in the last 20 years. In a note published at the end of the last meeting of the Vulnerable Twenty Group, delegates asked rich countries and creditors to adhere to “the delivery of $100 billion a year” to the vulnerable countries. V20 representatives said the funds are “commensurate with the emergency nature of the fallout of the global climate breakdown.” A large portion of the global population lives in countries that are the least responsible for global greenhouse gas emissions. However, many of these countries have also borne the brunt of the impacts of greenhouse gas emission-fueled climate change. Founded in 2015, the V20 Group comprises 58 members, where approximately 1.5 billion people live. The countries produce only about 5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the V20 discussed the possibility of suspending the repayment of €435 billion in debt to richer countries. The V20 also asked the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to forgive at least half of their debt, using the funds to preserve nature instead. The World Bank alone accounts for 20 percent of the V20 countries’ national debts. “As economic managers, it has long been clear to us that climate change is not a distant challenge,” said Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s finance minister and current V20 chair, in the keynote address. “It has set ablaze not only many of the world’s forests but also our fragile national budgets,” he added. “Climate change is simply compounding existing and increasingly acute fiscal stress.” “The international financial architecture must become fit for climate and for our development ambitions, and it must support and not detract from transformational changes needed in the real economy toward our common prosperity,” Ofori-Atta continued. David Theis, a spokesman for the World Bank Group, confirmed that the institution recognizes how many poor and small-island countries are coping with the severity of the climate crisis. He added that banks are “committed to comprehensive debt solutions that bring real benefits to people in poor countries, particularly countries with high debt vulnerabilities that lack the financial resources to deal with the challenges they face.” Mohamad Nasheed, former president of the Maldives, told the New York Times that repaying the massive debt would be an “injustice.” “We are living not just on borrowed money but on borrowed time,” he said. “We are under threat, and we should collectively find a way out of it.” The Maldives, which has already started to experience the impacts of sea level rise associated with melting polar ice caps as a result of climate change, was among the many outspoken island states denouncing the global lack of action at the event. Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji and Palau are among the many other V20 members sharing the same urgency and lamenting substantial inaction by wealthier nations. “Climate change has already eliminated one-fifth of our wealth,” Nasheed said. “In other words, V20 economies would be 20 percent wealthier today had we not been suffering the daily toll of climate loss and damage.” “In aggregate dollar terms, this is half a trillion in losses. And for the most at-risk countries, economic losses exceed half of all growth since 2000,” he added. “For the most at-risk V20 economies, the loss exceeds total growth.” “We are experiencing losses and damages from the climate emergency every day, and yet we have contributed the least to emissions,” Nasheed continued. Since the COP21 meeting in Glas...
A large-scale, long-term study has found no link between Mediterranean-like diet adherence and reduced dementia risk. The study, published in Neurology, followed nearly 30,000 people for about 20 years. The researchers’ goal at the outset was to determine whether diet could reduce the risk of developing a range of cognitive disorders. The study found that following conventional dietary recommendations or a modified Mediterranean diet (where dietary fat comprised olive oil and vegetable oil due to low consumption of the former in Sweden) was not significantly associated with a reduced risk of developing all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia. The researchers added that the results were similar when excluding participants who developed dementia within five years and those with diabetes. “Dementia cases are expected to triple during the next 30 years, highlighting the importance of finding modifiable risk factors for dementia,” the researchers wrote. The scientists based their results on the dietary habits of more than 28,000 residents in the Swedish city of Malmö who were born between 1923 and 1950 and had participated in the prospective “Swedish population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer Study” between 1991 and 1996, with a follow-up for incident dementia until 2014. During that period, nearly 7 percent of the participants developed different types of dementia. No specific diet was associated with the presence of Alzheimer’s disease markers in affected patients. “Dietary habits were assessed with a seven-day food diary, detailed food frequency questionnaire and one-hour interview,” the researchers wrote. Previous studies have demonstrated the benefit of following the Mediterranean diet on cognition and brain function, especially in older adults. A 2021 study published in Clinical Nutrition found that participants experienced “small-to-moderate” improvements in several cognitive domains after following the Mediterranean diet for three years compared with a control group. Improvements included spatial, visual and verbal memory improvements and attention span. In another 2022 study from Harvard University, researchers found that following a green Mediterranean diet low in red meat intake protected the brain from attenuated age-related brain atrophy. Still, the new Swedish research confirmed findings from two studies conducted by the American Medical Association in 2019, which included thousands of individuals but had found no evidence that diet, including the Mediterranean diet, affects the risk of developing dementia. Commenting on the Swedish study, Nils Peters, a neurologist at the Klinik Hirslanden in Switzerland, and Benedetta Nacmias, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Florence, Italy, observed that “diet as a singular factor may not have a strong enough effect on cognition, but is more likely to be considered as one factor embedded with various others, the sum of which may influence the course of cognitive function.” Other factors include regular exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption and stress. “One challenge for such a long study interval is that dietary habits could not be followed longitudinally over the period to assess potential changes in dietary habits,” Peters told Live Science. “Thus, the results are challenged by potential confounders, such as changes of dietary habits, lifestyle changes or newly co-occurring medical conditions over time,” he concluded.
Energy prices are on the rise in Greece as everywhere in Europe, threatening to derail the budgets of the country’s olive oil mill owners ahead of a bountiful harvest this year. To overcome rising production costs facing the sector, miller and producer associations from across the country have asked the Greek government to give more money to mills from the European funds allocated for the energy transition of industries and manufacturing facilities. On Crete, the farmers association of Kritsa, a large cooperative of 1,350 olive growers and olive oil producers with 300,000 olive trees, operates a modern mill near the city of Agios Nikolaos on the eastern part of the island. Despite the anticipation of a high olive oil yield in the area, the association is highly concerned with mounting production costs. “We expect a strong harvest, but we also expect the cost of extracting olive oil to increase sharply this season due to the higher prices of energy,” Yianna Peraki, an association member, told Olive Oil Times. “We have sent a letter to the ministers of agriculture and finance asking them to increase the funds directed to mills to reduce the energy costs.” “Otherwise, we will be forced to increase our olive oil entitlements [a percentage of the olive oil produced from each batch of olives with which millers in Greece are paid], which will make our producers unhappy,” she added. In the letter to the two ministers, which was seen by Olive Oil Times, the Kritsa association said that mills are in a deadlock having to absorb the additional cost of olive processing or alternatively transfer the cost to producers. “The increased costs will have a series of undesired side effects,” the association wrote. “The only realistic and fair solution is to subsidize the energy consumption of olive oil mills similarly to bakeries for the five-month time period from November to March.” “The goal is not to disrupt the balance of producers, millers, traders and consumers at the expense of the product and its future prospects,” they added. Since September, bakeries and large bread manufacturing facilities in Greece have been funded with an increased state subsidy of €604 per kilowatt-hour, which covers 89 percent of the rise in their energy bills. The demand of the Cretan producers for stronger financial aid from the state was echoed by their counterparts in other olive oil-producing regions of the country. In Laconia, in the southern Peloponnese, local millers have also asked for similar subsidies to those of the bread industries to secure a “decent living.” They argued that the mills operating costs have risen by 50 percent this year compared to 2019 despite the comparatively higher olive oil prices at origin this year. “The olive oil mills face the dilemma to increase the olive oil entitlements they receive [from the producers] or suspend their operation, which will put an extra burden on the producers who are already confronted with increased costs in their growing and harvesting operations,” the millers’ representatives said. Millers and producers representing almost every olive oil-producing region in Greece have made similar requests for increased funding, including the regions of Ilia and Messenia in the Peloponnese, Aetolia-Acarnania and Magnesia in central Greece, Chalkidiki and Kavala in northern Greece, and the island of Lesbos in the eastern Aegean Sea. Meanwhile, Yiorgos Georgantas, the Greek agriculture minister, prompted the country’s farmers and growers to form cooperatives as a means to reduce production costs and achieve better prices. “There is only one solution to the problem of fragmented farms so as not to alter the Greek tradition and break the ties that urban population has had for years with their homeland,” Georgantas said at an agricultural trade show in Thessaloniki. “And the solution is the cooperative schemes.” The minister added that cooperation among farmers promotes trade and enables extensive use of new technologi...
The growing demand for organic food products is fueling Italian organic agricultural production. In the last 10 years, organic food sales in Italy have grown by 133 percent. Similarly, exports of Italian organic products have risen by 181 percent in value in the same period. Eighty-one percent of these exports are food, with the remaining portion comprising cosmetics and other agricultural-related health products. According to the latest data published by Nomisma, a consultancy, the export value of organic agricultural products rose from €1.2 billion in 2012 to an expected €3.4 billion in 2022. The value of organic food exports in 2022 will exceed €2.7 billion, a 16 percent year-on-year increase. Today, organic exports represent 6 percent of the overall value of Italian agrifood exports. According to Nomisma, Italy is the second largest organic food exporter behind the United States, whose exports exceeded €2.98 billion in 2021. Wine is by far the most appreciated organic food product sold by Italian companies on the international market, representing 19 percent of all organic export sales. By comparison, total wine sales account for 13 percent of Italian agricultural exports by value. Nomisma estimated that Italian organic food exports to grow in the next three years, mainly in Germany (+53 percent), northern European countries (+32 percent) and the United States (+25 percent). In international and national markets, interest in organic extra virgin olive oil is also growing. In a recent report, the Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (Ismea) said organic extra virgin olive oil production reached 46,000 tons in 2019, valued at approximately €200 million. Ismea said organic extra virgin olive oil sales had been fueled by rising public demand and the higher prices producers can charge for organic oils, traditionally between €0.20 and €0.40 more. Outside of Italy, interest in organic extra virgin olive oil has also grown recently. Organic olive oils won about one in three awards at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest olive oil quality contest. In its report, Nomisma said organic food consumption is driven mainly by household consumption – as opposed to restaurant or hospitality consumption – growing 4 percent between 2020 and 2021 to reach almost €3.9 billion. In 2021, 89 percent of Italian families bought at least one organic product. In 2012, about 50 percent of families did the same. Today, 54 percent of Italian families consume organic food products at least once per week. Quality and health benefits are the most relevant drivers of organic food purchases. Thirty-nine percent of consumers interviewed by Nomisma also cited sustainability and respect for biodiversity as influencing their decisions. Twenty-eight percent of consumers ask for organic food containers to be 100 percent recyclable. According to Nomisma, large retailers make up 56 percent of all organic food sales to families and restaurants, with a total value of €2.2 billion in 2021. Still, the report highlights an 8-percent growth between 2020 and 2021 for sales by specialized organic food retailers, which now account for 26 percent of the market. Five percent growth also is expected for other organic food sales channels, such as pharmacies, fairs and local markets.
Spanish olive producers sold a record-high 1.66 million tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, according to the Association of Young Farmers and Ranchers (Asaja) of Jaén. In the previous crop year, producers sold 1.64 million tons. The National Agency for Food Information and Control (Aica) said sales reached 143,540 tons in September 2022, the last month of the crop year. On average, Spanish producers sold approximately 138.3 tons of olive oil per month during the last season. While some exact figures are still missing, officials estimated that about 1 million tons of olive oil were sold on the international market. The rest was sold for domestic consumption. In the 2020/21 crop year, the International Olive Council estimated olive oil consumption in Spain reached 538,000 tons. Officials added that the crop year would end with 453,420 tons of olive oil stocks, with more than 224,000 tons stored by bottlers, 218,000 tons stored by mills and 11,000 tons stored by Olivarero Communal Heritage. Expected ending stocks from the 2021/22 crop year are in line with previous ones, and they will be crucial in supplying the market in the current season, as global olive oil production is expected to drop. In its official harvest forecast, the Ministry of Agriculture estimated that production would reach 781,000 tons in the current crop year, about 700,000 tons lower than the 2021/22 total. However, other stakeholders believe the total will be closer to 900,000 or 1 million tons. One notable example of normally fruitful regions experiencing sharp production decreases comes from Sierra de Segura, a region in Jaén with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification. The local council in charge of administering the PDO certification said it expected volumes to fall by 57 percent this year, with the region producing slightly more than 12,000 tons of extra virgin olive oil. Despite the historically low production estimates for the coming harvest, Luis Carlos Valero, Asaja Jaén’s director and spokesman, said he did not expect significant shocks in the market. “The market will have to be regulated, and it will be regulated by prices or with the diversion of consumption to other fats,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll get to market shortages, but it makes marketing packaged olive oil very complicated.”
The spread of Xylella fastidiosa in Puglia, the southern Italian region, has slowed but not stopped. Signs of the infection have been found in a few olive trees located in an area previously considered safe. The results of the latest monitoring operations show that the deadly olive tree pathogen has infected 19 olive trees near Polignano a Mare, a coastal town not far from Bari, the regional capital. The newly infected trees are only a few hundred meters from one of their so-called buffer zone — the carefully monitored radius around the infected plants. Local authorities monitoring the spread of Xylella fastidiosa said they found another infected tree near Castellana Grotte, approximately 15 kilometers south of Polignano. The tree still falls within the local buffer zone, but it is only five meters away from its outer border. The constant monitoring of Xylella fastidiosa has allowed authorities to track its spread in the last few years, making it possible to allocate resources effectively to the most vulnerable locations. Tracking also has permitted authorities to gauge the efficiency of the many procedures enacted to limit the population of the main vector insects, which are mainly responsible for spreading the deadly bacteria. Along with olive trees, Xylella fastidiosa infects about 300 other plant species adding to the complexity of maintaining effective infection and buffer zones. Local experts said the discovery of the newly-infected trees demonstrates the need for more comprehensive and rapid monitoring. “The early detection of the bacteria and the containment measures adopted throughout the region seem to have slowed down the spread,” said Donato Boscia, head of the Apulian Institute for the Sustainable Protection of Plants at the National Research Council (CNR-Ipsp), who was among the first scientists to focus on Xylella fastidiosa in Italy. “What we need are quick and reliable tools to diagnose and intervene early as a way to stop the epidemic for which there is currently no treatment capable of bringing the infected plants back to a normal state,” he added. To this end, researchers said they had developed a new detection technology capable of making monitoring operations faster and more cost-efficient. The researchers from the CNR-Ipsp, the University of Bari’s photonics and nanotechnology institute and Agritest have devised what they describe as a “bio-sensor.” “It is an electronic device that sits in the palm of your hand and can be connected via Bluetooth to a smart device,” Eleonora Macchia, a researcher at the University of Bari and co-author of the study, told Olive Oil Times. “It is capable of analyzing very small quantities of olive juice, just above 100 microliters,” she added. “The analysis can tell with 99 percent accuracy if even just one Xylella bacterium is found in the olive tree fluid sample.” The prototype takes about 30 minutes to run the test in the field, far less than the two to three hours that the current quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method requires in the lab. Its creators said the new device would considerably cut the costs and time needed to test an olive tree. “Costs are significantly reduced as the electronic platforms are affordable, and even the consumption of reagents is reduced to the minimum,” Macchia said. According to the researchers, who published their findings in Advanced Science, the prototype also can detect Xylella fastidiosa infections in asymptomatic plants. “That gives us a considerable advantage as it moves the diagnosis to an earlier stage, where preventive medicine can be applied,” Macchia said. Its reliability and other qualities might enable authorities to extend their monitoring operations. “That is one of the first goals, as it could be used to screen large numbers with a minimally invasive method and at a low cost,” she said. However, Macchia warned that monitoring teams would need some time to adopt the device. “We are working on that as fast as...
Andrea Carassi, director general of the Italian Association of the Edible Oil Industry (Assitol), has warned that Italy is facing an olive oil shortage greater than any seen in over a generation. His comments come amid a string of disappointing harvest forecasts across the Mediterranean basin. Growers in Spain, the world’s largest olive oil producer, predict a 50 percent decline in production. Meanwhile, authorities in Tunisia, Italy and Portugal also anticipate significant production decreases this year. “We had spoken of a hot autumn for olive oil in early September. Unfortunately, we were not wrong,” Carassi told Il Sole 24 Ore. “The disproportion between consumption and production is such that, between now and next summer, we may not have enough oil for the shelves of large retailers.” The Italian domestic market accounts for approximately 600,000 tons of extra virgin olive oil sales each season. However, recent estimates predict that only a third of this will be provided, owing to a series of catastrophic climate events ranging from storms to drought. Soaring energy prices have further complicated the situation, increasing production costs and prompting calls for subsidies for producers and consumers alike. However, Carassi sees a danger in artificially lowering prices. He said this could lead to an even earlier depletion of stock and that “at a time when olive oil is becoming a rare commodity, we believe that it is advisable to avoid continuous recourse to promotions which would damage consumer confidence in the entire olive oil sector, and debase the value of our efforts.” This will do little to allay the fears of consumers, however. Italy’s National Confederation of Independent Farmers (Coldiretti) warned that extra virgin olive oil might reach a record retail price of €10 per liter as every part of the supply chain, from production and packaging to labeling and transport, is burdened by cost increases of 30 to 170 percent.
Nutri-Score, the nutritional front-of-pack-labeling (FOPL) system, came under intense criticism during a roundtable event held at the European Parliament. Politicians, food and nutrition experts and other stakeholders warned against the European Union-wide adoption of the FOPL. The European Commission is expected to announce a mandatory uniform FOPL by March 2023. Nutri-Score remains the front-runner after both the European Food Safety Authority and the Joint Research Center found that FOPLs like Nutri-Score might influence consumers to make healthier choices. However, organizers of the roundtable said that “the hope is that the commission and parliament will avoid taking a paternalistic and ideological approach and rather work to improve consumer knowledge and freedom and, above all, take into consideration the cutting-edge scientific research in the field of nutrition.” According to the nutrition scientists in attendance, the latest studies show the need to adopt a FOPL that recognizes the individual needs of each consumer and raises awareness about the nutritional qualities of the food. Nutri-Score is a traffic-light-style FOPL that uses a combination of five coordinated colors and letters to rate how healthy a packaged food item is, based on its fat, sugar, salt and calorie content per 100-gram or milliliter serving. The “Green A” indicates the healthiest option, and “Red E” denotes the least healthy. Michele Carruba, director of the obesity research center at the University of Milan, and Ramon Estruch, senior consultant at the internal medicine department of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, emphasized the relevance of considering the physiological characteristics and the preferences of each person. Other participants, such as Horst Heitz from Taxpayers of Europe and Véronique Willems from SMEunited, a business association, said any FOPL needs to take individual food cultures into account and should not be a barrier to free trade among E.U. member states. “What must urgently be avoided are approaches that force small producers to abandon their entrepreneurial and cultural traditions in favor of a process of alimentary amalgamation that benefits the big multinationals,” they said. Pietro Paganini, economic analyst and chair at Competere, the policy institute that organized the roundtable, said food labels “summarize core principles for the European Union, such as knowledge, education and freedom.” “Education is the core of a healthy and balanced diet,” he added. “That is what allows any individual to make conscious choices. The matter is not only what we eat but also how much, when and where, as diseases such as obesity are linked more to our habits and way of life than to eating specific foods.” Instead, Paganini said science is moving in the direction of personalized diets, arguing that everybody processes foods differently and, therefore, one set of recommendations is not the best approach to nutrition. Herbert Dorfmann, president of the European parliamentary association, said, “it is not easy to define what is healthy and what is not. To function, labels must be simple.” However, he added that Nutri-Score is too simple, implying that its purpose of comparing foods of the same category is not intuitive and could therefore impede consumer understanding of how they should eat. Despite his concerns, Dorfmann acknowledged that a pan-European FOPL would likely cause some food producers to change the ingredients of processed foods to make them healthier. “Still, such a label has no meaning when simple products such as tomatoes or potatoes or when European-certified food specialties are considered,” he said. Georgios Krytsos, a member of the parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee, said, “Nutri-Score is concerning, as its deployment can create confusion among consumers.” He warned that food producers might try to manipulate the system by swapping ingredients such as sugar for artificial sweeteners, which would...
A new effort in the southern Italian region of Puglia is underway to plant 18,000 Xylella fastidiosa-resistant trees in the next few months. The trees will be planted in former olive groves, which were decimated by the spread of Xylella fastidiosa over the past nine years. The municipality of Specchia, Lecce, in southern Puglia, signed an agreement with Foundation Sylva, an organization that restores landscapes through reforestation, to plant thorny oak, carob, strawberry, holm oak, mastic and other Xylella-resilient trees on 20 hectares in the province. The project comes on the heels of a previous experiment in nearby Minervino di Lecce, where the foundation successfully replaced a Xylella-stricken area with 11,000 new trees. Along with planting the trees, the agreements also charged the foundation with taking care of the new forests for at least five years. “Promoting a greater variety [of plants] in the area means creating a more protected environment concerning future plant epidemics,” Luigi de Vecchi, the president of the Sylva Foundation, told Corriere Salentino. “After the reforestation project started a year ago in Minervino di Lecce. we are happy today to contribute to the post-Xylella landscape regeneration in the Specchia area,” he added. While some of the involved areas are partially uncultivated, the remaining hectares were home to centuries-old olive trees, which died in just a few years as Xylella fastidiosa spread through the region. “Thanks to the partnership with Foundation Sylva, Specchia can now create a large green lung,” said Anna Luigi Remigi, Specchia’s mayor. “The forest will generate oxygen and biodiversity, which will restore the biological cycles of our land, with the return of endangered flora and fauna.” Xylella fastidiosa, a pathogen native to the Americas, is believed to have arrived in Italy from an infected coffee plant imported into Salento, at the southern tip of Puglia, in 2013. Two subspecies of the pathogen infect olive trees, causing the deadly Olive Quick Decline Syndrome. In the past nine years, the disease has killed millions of olive trees, mostly in the Gallipoli area. It took quite a long time for authorities to identify the cause of the disease and establish the actual proportions of the infection, which has spread to France, Portugal and Spain. In just a few years, large portions of Salento’s historic olive tree landscapes were transformed into a graveyard. The spread of the disease also took a profound toll on the local economy, which was largely centered around olive oil production. Thousands of olive growers, millers, bottlers and associated businesses had to cope with the effects of the unprecedented sanitary emergency, which included substantial eradication zones and large buffer areas to try and stem the spread of the disease. As a result of these containment measures, the spread of Xylella fastidiosa has slowed significantly. However, there is still no cure or treatment for the disease.
Efforts are underway in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain’s second-largest olive oil-producing region, to provide supplementary income to traditional olive growers through oleotourism. In the southeastern province of Albacete, farmers and government officials are working together to develop new oleotourism opportunities, from building farmhouses and museums to organizing tastings, visits to mills and olive groves and cultural events. “Oleoturism arises as a form of economic diversification in regions such as this, regions where olive oil is produced and where the traditional approach to olive oil making is cherished, as are its organoleptic properties,” said Ramón Sáez, the provincial delegate of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development in Albacete. He added that efforts to develop and promote oleotourism are critical to providing additional revenue streams to traditional growers, many of whom have become increasingly less competitive compared to high-density and super-high-density olive groves. According to regional government data, olive groves cover nearly 41,000 hectares in Albacete, of which about 30,000 are rainfed. The province generally produces about 70,000 tons of olive oil each year from Picual, Arbequina and Cornicabra olives. Sierra de Alcaraz, which hosts about 8,200 hectares of traditional olive groves, was highlighted as an example where oleotourism can make a real difference for producers. Already, the area has its own “collective brand” to identify traditionally-produced extra virgin olive oil in an attempt to add value to the final product. Officials hope that bringing tourists to see this cultural and historical process will help prevent Spain’s rural exodus, a pervasive problem in the country which prompted the creation of a dedicated federal government ministry. In its 2021 report, the Spanish Traditional Grove Association (Asolite) warned that more than 1.3 million hectares of traditional groves are at risk of abandonment, as profit margins for farmers have fallen considerably while production costs have risen steadily. Along with promoting oleotourism, local officials also pledged support to the province’s 8,000 hectares of organic olive groves, which account for about 20 percent of the total. Under the region’s rural development program, organic farmers will receive €35 million over the next five years. Organic olive growers will receive about €200 per hectare for the first 40 hectares. “A specific coupled aid for this type of olive grove, to alleviate the competitive difficulty of low-yield traditional olive groves, but which defines our landscape, is an essential element of the regional economy due to its strong social implication in the generation of employment and the containment of depopulation,” the regional government concluded.
New research from the University of Seville and the Higher Council for Scientific Research’s (CSIC) Instituto de Grasa sheds more light on the positive organoleptic attributes of extra virgin olive oil. The latest study, published in Food Chemistry, aimed to understand better the origin and characteristics of extra virgin olive oil sensory and flavor profiles. Most research about extra virgin olive oil is centered on understanding the nature and the source of its common sensory defects. However, this new study identified and deployed different methods to process and investigate the positive characteristics of several extra virgin olive oils. The established knowledge base in terms of sensory defects is quite extensive. To confirm the authenticity of an extra virgin olive oil or ascertain its origin, the chemical markers that produce taste and aroma also have been thoroughly studied by the International Olive Council (IOC), the olive oil industry and others. Sensory defects result from the oxidation or fermentation of the olives or resulting olive oil, boosting the concentration of certain volatile compounds. “On the contrary, the positive attributes, characterized with a complex balance of fruity notes, are more difficult to characterize,” Diego García-González, a researcher at the Instituto de la Grasa and corresponding author of the study, told Olive Oil Times. “The sensory differences are due to different profiles of volatile compounds rather than to the absence or presence or anomalous concentration of a few compounds,” he added. The research identified the different markers that make volatile compound profiles attributed as either “green fruity” or “ripe fruity.” Tasting experts can detect these sensory profiles and layout objective and reproducible results. “Therefore, if samples of both types of aroma are carefully selected and evaluated by a panel, it is possible to study their volatile composition and to extract conclusions,” García-González said. Still, the researchers wrote that those compounds are not necessarily responsible for the two main sensory perceptions. Therefore, they worked on the positive attributes and the associated volatile compounds, investigating the differences between “green fruity” and “ripe fruity” aromas. To this end, the researchers selected 24 extra virgin olive oil varietals from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Turkey. “The primary selection of the 24 samples out of 105 oils was made by an open tasting procedure done twice by four trained panelists who tentatively selected those samples with distinctive and undoubted sensory profiles of ‘green fruity’ or ‘ripe fruity,’ discarding those samples with unclear positive attributes or a mixture of both sensory profiles,” the researchers wrote. The panelists then selected 12 samples associated with each “green fruity” and 12 other samples with “ripe fruity” and verified their characteristics using the IOC’s official procedure. “In the sensory evaluation, olfactory and gustatory, the panelists confirmed that the samples did not have any sensory defect, and they scored the positive attributes included in the IOC regulation,” the study’s authors wrote. “Virgin olive oils typically contain a mixture of the two sensory profiles at different degrees. That is what made this study complex and interesting,” García-González said. “To address the study, we focused on samples in which all the panelists agreed that they were clearly characterized with ‘green fruity’ or ‘ripe fruity’ aroma.” The researchers studied the differentiation in the volatile profile of extra virgin olive oils into those two classes, which were investigated “by deploying three different analytical methods, including different extraction techniques and detectors and two data processing strategies, and their relation with sensory results.” According to the scientists, such work was needed as the knowledge of the individual contribution of volatile compounds to the greener...
Known as wine country, the charming hills of Goriška Brda present a unique landscape on Slovenia’s border with Italy, where olive growing has ancient roots and some of the best extra virgin olive oil in the world is being produced. “Looking over the hills that shape this landscape, you can see a diverse array of scenery from the Adriatic Sea to the Julian Alps,” Timon Brataševec, manager of Villa Eva, told Olive Oil Times. “The borgos [small villages with traditional architecture] remind us of the villages dotting southern France or Tuscany.” Along with the terrain, the area is defined by its history. In the aftermath of World War II, the city of Gorizia was divided between Italy and Slovenia. However, friendship and cooperation led the divided municipalities of Gorizia, Italy, and Nova Gorica, Slovenia, to reunite in a strategic partnership that helped the social and economic development of the area. Villa Eva is among the winners of both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. Brataševec and his family are currently busy with the 2022 olive harvest. His award-winning olive oil production represents a magnificent comeback. Growers in the area had lost faith in olive farming after the catastrophic winter of 1929 when a ‑15 °C cold snap almost wiped out the olive tree population. Over time, farmers started to plant other crops, and it took decades for olive farming to once again flourish in the area, where world-famous vineyards now grow. Brataševec’s groves are some of the farthest north in the Mediterranean basin, which presents plenty of challenges, especially with the added uncertainty of climate change. However, he believes that the northerly location of the groves also contributes to the oil’s fruity aroma. Brataševec added that the team behind Villa Eva is dedicated to organic production and the protection of biodiversity, which the family sees as crucial for the well-being of their olive groves. “In our olive groves, we gave life to environmentally optimal conditions for the ideal development of the olive trees,” he said. “They are surrounded by woods through which a small river flows and where many species of birds and insects interact.” “We have found that this ecological niche exerts a crucial role in defending our olive trees against the olive fruit fly, olive moth and olive thrips [small insects],” Brataševec added. Currently, the Brataševec family is hard at work hand-harvesting their olives, which will continue until the second half of November. “The whole family is involved in the farm, from the owner, Vanessa, to the agro-engineer Kris, who takes care of olive oil quality, while Miranda and Nedjan are in charge of promotion and sales of our products,” Brataševec said. He explained how Villa Eva is an acronym coming from his great-grandmother, Emilia, who sowed the seeds of the family farm, and her two daughters, Vanda and Adriana. “Their initials are our brand,” he said. “In 1920, Emilia opened a food shop selling olive oil and wine. Two years later, she opened the first bakery in Goriška Brda.” “Business was good, and that allowed Emilia to buy two more houses where we created a touristic center with pool and spa,” Brataševec added. “In the stone building, at the heart of the olive grove, we offer olive oil tastings.” Generations of experience have taught the family that timing is everything, especially in olive oil production. “Harvest timing is crucial to obtain the best nutritional qualities and a pleasant aroma for the olive oil,” Brataševec said. “It took many years of experience in the field to reach the point when one can choose the exact moment to proceed with the harvest.” He added that he is satisfied with the amount of olives harvested so far this year. While many growers in ce...
A three-day heatwave has hit northern Australia, an unusual phenomenon at this time of year, according to the Queensland Bureau of Meteorology. The authorities said the heatwave affected most of the northeastern state’s coastline and farther inland, with temperatures expected to hit the mid-thirties and reach up to 40 ºC. Meteorologist Kimba Wong told local media that temperatures were expected to be a full 5 ºC warmer than the average maximum temperature in October, the first full month of spring in Australia. The extremely early onset of the current heatwave may indicate a larger trend taking palace in Australia. Studies conducted by Australian and European meteorologists found that “future heatwave severity is associated with increasing CO2 emissions, particularly along the east coast and southern Australia.” In a recent report, the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization warned that western Sidney, in southeast Australia, may experience twice as many days with temperatures exceeding 35 ºC by 2030 as it does now. The report estimated this figure could triple by 2050 and increase by five-fold by the end of the century. Researchers added that a similar trend would likely occur with days exceeding 40 ºC. As some Australians are already turning on the air conditioning to cope with rising temperatures and high humidity, officials are worried that the early arrival of hot weather in spring serves as a harbinger for the approaching summer. Australia’s first heatwave of the season coincides with the release of a new United Nations and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) report. The report found that climate change is making heatwaves more dangerous for human health, and “aggressive steps” are required to avoid recurrent heat-related health crises. The report’s authors also noted that heatwaves are already taking a significant toll on agriculture and forestry, triggering wildfires and destroying crops. They warned that the most vulnerable people, including agricultural laborers, and countries were likely to be most affected by sustained hot weather as it becomes more common. However, the authors added, “almost everywhere that reliable data is available, heatwaves are the deadliest weather-related hazard.” The researchers further predicted that the growing impact of heatwaves would not stop as global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. The northern parts of sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southwest Asia are expected to experience some of the most severe heatwaves in the coming decades, exacerbating inequality, straining limited government resources and resulting in “large-scale suffering and loss of life.” The report’s release comes just weeks before the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which is taking place in Egypt. “The climate crisis is intensifying humanitarian emergencies all around the world,” said Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general of the IFRC. “To avert its most devastating impacts, we must invest equally on adaptation and mitigation, particularly in the countries most at risk.” “At COP27, we will urge world leaders to ensure that this investment reaches local communities that are on the frontline of the climate crisis,” he added. “If communities are prepared to anticipate climate risks and equipped to take action, we will prevent extreme weather events from becoming humanitarian disasters.”
The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP27 – is just around the corner, kicking off on November 8th in Egypt’s sunny resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. Among the event’s many focuses will be agriculture’s role in climate change, to which an entire day has been dedicated. And with good reason. The International Panel on Climate Change estimates that agriculture is responsible for 10 to 12 percent of global emissions and one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. However, not all agriculture is created equal. The lion’s share of these emissions is associated with chemical and industrial agriculture and its immense supply chain fueled by oil and gas. While this type of agriculture has allowed the global population to grow exponentially from an estimated 1 billion people in the mid-19th century to nearly 8 billion today, the spoils have not been shared equitably, and the costs have been immense. Chemical agriculture can be traced back to 1840 when Baron Justus von Liebig, a German chemist, published a monograph entitled Chemistry in Its Application to Agriculture, in which he shifted the prevailing paradigm of soil biology to soil chemistry. His discovery allowed for the advent of industrial agriculture about 100 years later when the necessary ingredients were stockpiled in abundance after the end of World War II. Plants require 17 essential elements to grow, but von Liebig identified the three most important ones – nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. While all three of these essential nutrients and the other 14 are found naturally in the soil and produced through biological processes, their concentration and presence is the limiting factor of soil fertility. Applying NPK fertilizers (the initials of the three main elements on the periodic table) raised these limits but had many unintended, albeit foreseen, consequences. The repetitive application of these fertilizers meant crops could be grown on the same land year after year. However, the ecosystem that naturally supported life was degraded. Intensive agriculture eliminated the previously existing symbiosis between plant roots and soil microbes. Combined with the impacts of climate change, this imbalance has resulted in a loss of 25 percent of the global insect population since 1990. This loss of biodiversity, combined with the unnaturally dense amount of nutrients in the NPK-fertilized crops, resulted in the rise of pests. The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization estimates that 40 percent of global crop production – valued at about $290 billion – is now lost to pests, with the problem expected to become 10 to 25 percent worse as a result of climate change. Without natural predators to maintain a balance, pest species have become more pervasive and economically damaging, resulting in the regular deployment of chemical pesticides. Those pesticides further degraded soil health, rendering it uninhabitable without the continued use of NPK fertilizers, essentially unlearning 14,500 years of shared knowledge and experience in the space of 180 years. The “NPK mentality,” as von Liebig’s discovery became derisively known among its critics, overly simplified soil fertility’s complex system biology. Now some experts in the world of high-density (intensive) and super-high-density (super-intensive) olive groves are conflicted over the impact that systematic olive tree cultivation has on the soil. One skeptic said part of the uncertainty is the lack of studies on soil health in high-density and super-high-density groves. “There are not many studies comparing the change in soil fertility between traditional or intensive olive groves,” Roberto García Ruiz, an agricultural researcher at the University of Jaén specializing in olive cultivation, told Olive Oil Times. “When I try to work in super-intensive groves to do this kind of comparison, [intensive olive grove owners] do not want anyone to take soil samples or do any kind of anal...
A record-breaking number of Italian municipalities have chosen to join a nationwide initiative to promote oleotourism. On October 30th, events in 168 locations will bring thousands of locals and tourists to olive groves, small villages, historic sites and ancient mills. Visitors will have the chance to taste local extra virgin olive oil and other traditional olive oil-based food specialties. Since the event coincides with the start of the olive harvest in many parts of the country, visitors will also have the opportunity to try freshly-produced olive oil. The ‘Walking Among Olive Trees Day‘ includes various events designed to allow participants to “embrace the olive trees,” according to the organizers. Visitors will be invited to join hands and form circles to hug the olive trees, celebrating the ancient relationship between the local people and trees. In the 17 Italian regions involved, there will be itineraries for a walk from two to seven kilometers through the olive groves. “Each municipality has selected a route among the olive trees with unique characteristics from the historical and environmental point of view that ends in a mill, an olive farm or a historic building where participants will be offered a tasting of bread, oil and typical products,” organizers said in a press release. In Fasano, in the heart of the southern region of Puglia, visitors will explore a unique area known as Lama del Trappeto (Blade of Trappeto, in Italian), which was named for the shape of the channel that collects rainwater and brings it to an ancient underground olive mill. In the mill, participants will assist in the olive oil production process following ancient tradition and using historical tools such as millstones and presses. The event will also include a guided walk through the century-old olive grove and end with a tasting event. Meanwhile, in Chiavari, Liguria, in northwestern Italy, visitors will walk from the city center to the olive groves with a local guide who will explain the city’s history and discuss the specifics of local olive growing. A local theatrical association will perform in the groves, and tastings will be offered in the historical site of Palazzo Rocca, once home to many olive trees. The network of involved municipalities is part of the Città dell’Olio, an association that includes more than 400 olive-growing municipalities. Michele Sonnessa, the association’s president, told Olive Oil Times that the event’s goal is to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of olive tree cultivation and the risks posed to traditional olive groves by the pattern of abandonment among the younger generation. According to research from the International Olive Council, “in the production of 1 liter of olive oil, olive trees remove 10 kilograms of CO2 from the atmosphere.” “[With this initiative] we intend to raise awareness among the population and encourage the government to promote traditional and sustainable olive growing,” Sonnessa said, warning that the government must act soon to address the impending demographic crisis facing traditional olive oil production. “That is why we planned a symbolic and concrete gesture, a shared and collective hug which will help witness the passion we nurture towards the plant that, more than any other, protects the environment,” he added. “And to witness the community’s commitment to preserve the growing olive landscape and restore abandoned farmland.” According to the promoters, there are many similarities in local olive oil cultures throughout the country, but specific differences exist in the different regions. “Therefore, such an initiative is a way to promote oleotourism based on the enduring heritage of our territories, a value that will build wealth for future generations,” the association said in a press release. “From north to south, thousands of participants will join hands and create human circles around the olive trees in the Cities of Olives,” Sonnessa concluded. “Small gestu...
Eighty students from the Matija Gubec international primary school in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, visited a Dalmatian olive grove to participate in the harvest and learn about olive oil production. The students of the prestigious international school, attended by the children of ambassadors, diplomats, government officials, prominent athletes and business people from abroad, traveled 330 kilometers south to the olive groves of 40-year-old Krešimir Uroda near Pirovac. The children helped harvest the olives by hand before traveling to the Sveti Ante mill in nearby Vodice to learn how olives are transformed into olive oil. “I am extremely honored that my olive grove was chosen for this occasion,” Uroda said with satisfaction. “Among [the students are] the two children of tennis player Goran Ivanišević, the daughter of former international [association] football player Boško Balaban, and the son of the famous singer Severina Vučković,” he added. Uroda’s olive grove was planted 12 years ago by his father, Ante Uroda. After leaving Čakovec, the northernmost Croatian city, where he started a family and spent his entire working life, he returned to his ancestral home. “Something kept pulling him back to his homeland,” Uroda said, who spent every summer with his parents in Pirovac, 428 kilometers away from Čakovec. “I fell in love with this area.” Uroda helped his father plant and grow the olive trees. However, he continued to work as an IT specialist for Elektra in Čakovec until 2017, when his father fell seriously ill and urged him to return to the olive farm in Pirovac, or he would have to sell it. As a result, Uroda requested a transfer to Elektra’s offices in Sibenik, Dalmatia. “I made it. But, unfortunately, my father was overcome by a serious, incurable disease and died at the age of 68,” he said. Remembering his father’s words, Uroda continued in his footsteps, dedicating his free time to olive growing and soon started producing extra virgin olive oil. He received his first recognition four years ago at a local competition in Vodice, where he won a gold medal. He won another two years later. Last year, he earned a Gold Award at the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. When the visiting students asked him how winning the award felt, Uroda responded: “Incredible. It’s like winning the UEFA Champions League or climbing Mount Everest.” The harvest is underway in his drywall-surrounded olive grove, which boasts 354 Oblica, Lastovka and Leccina trees. Uroda expects to harvest about two tons of fruit, yielding about 450 to 500 liters of oil. Taking advantage of the scenic location of his olive grove, Uroda has also built a guest house for tourists. “We built it for ourselves, for the family, and then, two years ago, when we received the necessary approvals, we offered it to tourists through Airbnb,” he said. “The response was beyond expectations.” Uroda said guests had been delighted, adding they are attracted by the olive grove, the proximity to the sea and the untouched wilderness around Pirovac. Some guests even volunteer to help with the harvest. In the first year, OPG Uroda booked 75 overnight stays and received the prestigious Superhost title, awarded to the platform’s best-performing properties. This year, the number of guests has doubled, and the season is still going. “In addition to the stay, we allow our guests to taste and buy our oil,” Uroda said. “Not a single pair of guests have left without oil.” As the harvest continues, Uroda said his oils would start entering restaurants and hotels. He also plans on selling them through an e-commerce platform. “I believe that our business in olive growing will only go forward,” he said. Meanwhile, in the olive groves, the students and local workers managed to harvest 350 kilograms of olives by hand before going to the mill to watch the transformation process. Tomislav Duvnjak, an award-winning producer, runs the mill and was ver...
New research published in Nature Scientific Reports has identified some of the impacts of different cooking methods on metabolic health and inflammation. The team of Spanish researchers studied how eating food raw compared with boiling, roasting, pan-frying, frying, toasting, sautéing and stewing food affects renal function, inflammation or alters other relevant biomarkers. Investigating how food preparation influences its nutritional value has become an increasingly common field of study as consumers become more aware of what and how they eat. “Classical nutritional epidemiology has focused on an approach based on individual foods, examining the role of certain foods or food groups on health,” Montserrat Rodríguez-Ayala and Pilar Guallar-Castillón, researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid and co-authors of the study, told Olive Oil Times. “However, cooking methods have hardly been explored using population data,” they added. “Cooking methods have mostly been addressed when studying their effects on physicochemical characteristics of foods or bioavailability of nutrients.” The cross-sectional study conducted on almost 2,500 Spanish residents over 65 years of age showed trends, such as better health outcomes from eating larger quantities of raw or pan-fried food. The researchers also stressed the disadvantages of cooking with vegetable oils – though notably not olive oil – at high temperatures. In their study, researchers found that four different cooking methods – raw, boiling, pan-frying and toasting – corresponded with beneficial effects on several inflammatory markers, as well as improved kidney function, thyroid hormone balances and vitamin D levels. None of the cooking methods, including frying food, showed significant detrimental associations for the inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers the researchers assessed. “Our study is a first approach to the effect of cooking methods on health,” Rodríguez-Ayala and Guallar-Castillón said. “Therefore, with the currently available information, recommendations to avoid certain cooking methods cannot be made. However, cooking methods that do not include adding oils heated to high temperatures are safe and can potentially be associated with health benefits.” Many dietary guidelines suggest that raw and boiled foods provide more health benefits than fried foods, the consumption of which should be limited. “Our results agree with this recommendation for the consumption of raw and boiled foods,” Rodríguez-Ayala and Guallar-Castillón said. “However, in our population, no harmful effect of fried food consumption was observed, possibly because olive oil is the main source of fat for frying in Spain.” “Olive oil is considered very stable when heated at high temperatures and is also rich in antioxidants and flavonoids,” they added. “Other added oils or fats have not shown these properties. Therefore, the results could vary in populations using other oils or fats for cooking.” “In Spain, olive oil consumption might exert a positive influence on health, which could influence to some degree the effect on the healthiness of different cooking methods,” the researchers continued. “The role of olive oil as a cooking fat could be very important, but it has not yet been quantified.” Additionally, Rodríguez-Ayala and Guallar-Castillón noted that the study, comprised of 53 percent female volunteers and an average age of 71, was not representative of the Spanish population. They suggested people in this demographic might eat healthier food compared to younger generations, which could suggest different results even when cooking methods are considered. “So far, no similar study has been conducted in younger populations, and it is to be expected that the results could vary to some degree,” Rodríguez-Ayala and Guallar-Castillón said. “Diet quality is lower among younger people because adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern has decreased among younger people and also because the consumpt...
Some of the most common conditions triggered by obesity might be mitigated or prevented by adopting the Mediterranean diet, a new meta-study has found. The researchers conducted a wide-ranging review of the current scientific literature. They found that following the Mediterranean diet could yield many benefits for obese people and people at risk of obesity. The authors of the meta-study, published in Current Obesity Reports, noted that hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, several types of cancers or dyslipidemia, a lipid imbalance that often precedes cardiovascular conditions, are among the many diseases frequently diagnosed in obese people. By reviewing the current scientific literature, the authors found that adopting the Mediterranean diet might reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, thrombosis and endothelial dysfunction. Following the diet was also linked with weight loss, modulating the gut microbiome and improving lipid profile, immunity and insulin sensitivity. By limiting inflammation and regulating cholesterol, the Mediterannenean diet was also proven to be a practical step in cancer prevention and reducing cardiovascular disease risks. According to the World Health Organization, 650 million adults were obese in 2016. Obesity-related diseases are estimated to kill more people than those associated with being underweight in most countries. In addition, WHO data show that 39 million children under the age of five are overweight or obese, double the amount deemed obese in 1980. The researchers described the Mediterranean diet as characterized by a “high consumption of vegetables, fruit, nuts, cereals, whole grains and extra virgin olive oil, as well as a moderate consumption of fish and poultry and a limited intake of sweets, red meat and dairy products.” In the meta-study, the researchers analyzed the proven effects of following the Mediterranean diet on the most common obesity-related conditions. They found that the Mediterranean diet is not associated with weight gain, even with no energy restrictions. A high-fat, unrestricted-calorie Mediterranean diet also was associated with little weight change and less central adiposity compared with a low-fat diet in the long term. “The Mediterranean diet has the potential to reduce abdominal adiposity, in particular metabolically detrimental visceral fat, independently of weight loss, and can be recommended as a healthy diet choice to individuals with obesity and overweight, particularly at risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease,” the researchers wrote. “The Mediterranean diet may be more effective in Southern European populations due to better availability of specific food products, cultural and other factors,” they added. Another critical health factor of the Mediterranean diet is the composition of its polyphenols. According to the researchers, “the plant-based components of the Mediterranean diet contain polyphenols that have been shown to reduce insulin resistance and improve cardio-metabolic risk factors.” “In addition, olive oil and low-to-moderate alcohol intake (especially red wine) also contribute to the benefits of the Mediterranean diet via their polyphenol content,” they added. The results of the meta-study are likely to be heralded as good news in the fight against the global obesity pandemic. Obesity is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality from different non-communicable diseases. “Of interest, the negative effects of obesity are reversed in part with substantial weight loss,” the researchers wrote. “The composition of the Mediterranean diet has been related to an excellent effect on reducing dyslipidemia.” “Additionally, [the diet] positively modulates the gut microbiota and immune system, significantly decreasing inflammation mediators, common ground for many obesity-related disorders,” they concluded. “The Mediterranean diet is the healthiest dietary pattern available to prevent several non-communicable diseases, including cardi...
In a bid to improve Spain’s resilience to the effects of climate change and develop procedures to optimize the use of water for irrigation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food announced the establishment of a new board and sustainable irrigation observatory. The decision comes on the heels of European Union initiatives to improve governance and policies of a critical water management area in Spain. The initiative is part of the country’s broader Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, developed under the umbrella of the E.U.’s NextGenerationEU strategy. The new board will include public administrations centered on agriculture, irrigation companies, production chain actors, farming organizations, researchers, environmental associations and other stakeholders. In addition, the public administrations responsible for water management and environmental assessment will also be involved. The board’s primary goals include facilitating cooperation, discussion and information exchange between the public administrations and the other parties involved. According to the ministry, these activities will facilitate governance and the deployment of an efficient irrigation policy. The board will help coordinate the irrigation and water management policy. “It will also propose and promote measures for the prevention or control of the environmental impacts derived from irrigation, as well as the design of good practices in farms for the same purpose,” the ministry said. Among its top priorities are the environmental and sustainability issues related to irrigation. The ministry said the board would act “as a forum for communication, analysis and debate on aspects related to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of irrigation in Spain; make proposals to increase energy efficiency, save water and digitalize farms and report on investment plans and regulations.” The new board will be supported by the sustainable irrigation observatory, which is in charge of gathering and providing relevant information to public administrations and other stakeholders. Its work will focus on the leading economic, social and environmental indicators to contribute to the sector’s transparency. To that end, the observatory will also have a website managed by the ministry. The urgency of a comprehensive irrigation strategy has been cited for years as the country works to counteract the growing threat of desertification and the dramatic effects of Spain’s worst drought in more than 1,000 years. According to the latest data published by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, the levels of the national reservoirs continue to shrink. They have now fallen nearly 32 percent of their total capacity. The reservoirs of the Guadalquivir basin in Andalusia the world’s most productive olive oil-producing region, are now at 19 percent of their capacity. The basin of the 657-kilometer river is crucial for the wider Andalusian Mediterranean basin, which is at 37 percent capacity. As local media reports, the capacities of the central Guadiana and Southern Guadalete-Barbate basins also have dropped significantly, each falling to about 23 percent. Currently, the country’s reservoirs store 17.7 billion cubic meters, down from the 22.3 billion cubic meters recorded last year and well below the 10-year average of 27.8 billion cubic meters.
Italian authorities announced that €3.9 billion would be spent to improve water infrastructure and reduce leaks in cities and agricultural areas. The goal of the European Union-supported plan is to increase the country’s resilience to the effects of climate change. The Italian government’s water infrastructure strategy is a long-term plan to strengthen water security. Officials said sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation are crucial for approving new infrastructure projects. Of those funds, €2.9 billion will come from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is deployed as part of the European Union’s NextGenerationEU strategy. The rest is financed by Rome. Approximately 60 percent of the total will go to projects in southern Italy where urgent maintenance work is needed on reservoirs, aqueducts, agricultural water networks and irrigation channels. This work includes securing the water supply, identifying and repairing leaks, digitally monitoring water networks (including new aqueducts, reservoirs and dams) and renewing irrigation channels. Ten percent of the funds will be used to reinforce water networks at risk of earthquake damage. The Ministry of Infrastructure said that “improving the quality of service provided to citizens, industry and agriculture” is its main goal. Approximately 1,000 kilometers of new water channels are expected to be built. The latest data published by the National Institute of Statistics (Istat) show that the country’s water networks lose about 37 percent of the water volumes they manage every year to leaks. For example, Istat noted that water losses per kilometer of major cities’ water networks reached 41 cubic meters each day in 2020. Due to the current state of the water channels, the lack of snow in the previous winter and the scarcity of rainfall which exacerbated the effects of a record drought, many areas of Italy have faced water scarcity in recent months. Farmers have also dealt with limited water availability for irrigation, with significant losses of staple crops and lower yields reported. In its presentation, the ministry warned that “estimates show that precipitation will tend to reduce while temperatures will get higher, especially in the southern regions.” “At the same time, extreme weather events such as floods, drought and heatwaves will happen more often and become more intense,” the ministry added. “They are destined to become harsher in the future. Such phenomena will accelerate the water cycle with a growing difference between winter and summer events.” Broad in scope, the new water infrastructure plan is seen as a significant step in the long-term process of adapting to the changing climate. The Italian government, which changed after September’s general election, warned in the Ministry of Infrastructure’s presentation that €3.9 billion would not be enough. The technical offices of the ministry confirmed that to complete the plan and “bring the Italian water system to the needed levels,” €3 billion more would have to be invested in the coming years.
The olive harvesting season is underway in the Gaza Strip, a coastal Palestinian enclave, with authorities expecting a four-fold increase in olive yields. Ayman Al-Yazouri, Gaza’s minister of agriculture, told local media that growers should harvest about 45 tons of olives, compared to the 12 tons harvested last year. “This olive season is the best in recent years due to the abundance of production and the expansion of the cultivated areas,” he said. “This season is being used to mark the importance of the olive tree, what it represents to Palestinians and their history.” According to the International Olive Council (IOC) figures, Palestine, which includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip, produced approximately 27,000 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year and 14,500 tons the year before. “Farmers and landowners will be able to pick about one ton of olives from each hectare [of olive groves],” Adham al-Bassiouni, a ministry spokesman, told The New Arab. “They will have the chance to make up for the losses they incurred in the previous years because of the coronavirus crises and climate change. Olive oil and table olive production are very important to the local economy, and farmers hope to export both products to several Arab markets due to the bumper harvest. “There is a surplus. which would pave the way for farmers and traders to sell their olive oil outside the Gaza Strip,” Nasr Abu Odeh, owner of the largest olive oil mill in Gaza, told the Palestine Chronicle. Fawwaz al-Kafarna, an olive farmer in Beit Hanoun, told The New Arab that he had to hire 20 workers to harvest his groves this year compared to the four he hired last year. “Such seasons are golden chances for thousands of workers to make some money,” he said. Despite high expectations for the current harvest, tensions between Gaza and Israel, which erupted in August and resulted in more than 400 Palestinian casualties, are among the most significant challenges that growers face. Local reports indicated that some farmers had difficulties reaching their trees to begin harvesting after Israeli soldiers reportedly closed sections of the Gaza Strip ahead of the Jewish holidays.
The PGI olive oil could be the cornerstone of a system that adds value to the region.– Nicola Sichetti, president, CIA Abruzzo Citing a production tradition that dates back more than 2,000 years and its unique terroir, producers in the central Italian region of Abruzzo have asked to have their extra virgin olive oil recognized with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) by the European Union. Now, a series of bureaucratic and operative hurdles must be cleared for the PGI proposal to enter the list of E.U.-certified food specialties. To this end, the Italian Agricultural Confederation’s Abruzzo (CIA Abruzzo) branch has launched the Abruzzo PGI promotion committee. Its goal is to compile the documentation, which will then be sent to the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy. “The PGI olive oil could be the cornerstone of a system that adds value to the region,” said Nicola Sichetti, president of CIA Abruzzo. He added that Abruzzo is Italy’s fifth-largest olive oil-producing region, with annual yields of about 27,500 tons. About 60,000 farmers, agricultural businesses, and 530 millers are involved in olive oil production. Some of Abruzzo’s olive groves are centuries old, and the tradition of olive growing dates back to the fifth century BCE. Under Roman rule, olive cultivation flourished and is cited by prominent authors, including Virgil and Ovid. In addition, olive oil production and trade were a source of wealth for many in Rome. After a period of stagnation during the Middle Ages, olive growing in Abruzzo underwent a period of restoration at the beginning of the 19th century after several farmland reforms, which also paved the way for the cultivation of vines. During this time, olive oil became a staple of local households and was widely used during religious ceremonies. While the new PGI proposal is meant to identify and protect traditional extra virgin olive oil production in the region, there are already three with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. Overall, there are 49 PDO olive oils in Italy. “The whole production chain can benefit from the innovation and the valorization of this product,” Sichetti said. “We already have those three PDOs, but they are not enough to support Abruzzo extra virgin olive oil, a product we hope to make recognizable at regional, national and European levels.” He added that the proposed PGI would add needed value to local olive growers, who have seen production costs rise faster than prices. “Many risk not even being able to cover the production costs,” he added. According to Emanuele Imprudente, the agricultural secretary of the Abruzzo regional government, the initiative is an excellent first step. “We need it to be able to sell and promote a PGI olive oil which will be a source of pride for the whole region,” he added. “Specific public support aimed at the millers will also accompany the PGI proposal.” Luigi Di Giandomenico, president of Innovaolio, a local production chain project, said everyone in the region needs to work together for the PGI initiative to succeed. “We are going through challenging times,” he concluded. “We have the duty to react together and be united in this proposition.” CIA Abruzzo
An international team of researchers has found that following a Mediterranean diet fortified with polyphenols might play a pivotal role in mitigating the impacts of visceral adiposity, which is widespread among obese people. Visceral obesity is a triggering factor for multiple pathologic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. It is also associated with developing prostate, breast and colorectal tumors. The traditional Mediterranean diet is a known source of polyphenols, which the researchers believe might impact adiposity. The study, published in BMC Medicine, explored the impacts of what they defined as a “green-Med diet, twice fortified in dietary polyphenols and lower in red and processed meat.” The diet “may be a potent intervention to promote visceral adiposity regression,” the researchers wrote. Over 18 months, the researchers followed 294 subjects with an average body mass index of 31.2 and an age of 51. Eighty-eight percent of them were men. The subjects were divided into three groups. The first followed the healthy dietary guidelines, the second adhered to a traditional Mediterranean diet, and the third followed a green-MedDiet. All three groups were equally calorie-restricted. The subjects were also asked to exercise and consume 28 grams of walnuts daily, adding 440 milligrams of polyphenols to their diets. The green-Med group was also asked to consume three to four cups of green tea daily, and a 100-gram Wolffia globosa shake. “The green protein shake was partially substituted for dinner, replacing beef or poultry protein source,” the researchers wrote. Wolffia globosa is an aquatic plant high in protein, fiber and fat. During the observational period, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the abdominal adipose tissues, which demonstrated that visceral adiposity tissue was reduced by 4.2 percent in the healthy dietary guidelines group, 6 percent in the MedDiet group and 14 percent in the group following the green-MedDiet. Weight loss and waist circumference decreased by 4.7 percent in the MedDiet group and 5.7 percent in the green-Med group. According to the researchers, higher green tea, walnut, and Wolffia globosa consumption paired with lower red meat intake resulted in higher total plasma polyphenols and elevated urine polyphenols. These were significantly associated with a more significant loss of visceral adipose tissue. Researchers explained that the Mediterranean diet is a reference point for the study as it includes plenty of foods rich in polyphenols. The eating pattern has been shown to reduce visceral adiposity regardless of weight loss when associated with physical activity. In the MedDiet, polyphenols come from extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, red wine and whole-grain cereals. Current research shows that extra virgin olive oil comprises at least two dozen polyphenols, the health benefits of which continue to be researched. To date, following the MedDiet has been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, enhance endothelial function, increase plasma concentrations of the beneficial adiponectin hormone and curtail the atherogenic lipoproteins, which are linked to cardiovascular disease.
How olive oils are presented and described in supermarkets has a tangible impact on sales, the results of a new study reveal. According to Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants, about 65 to 75 percent of olive oil for domestic use is sold in supermarkets and hypermarkets globally. As a result, how the olive oils are presented makes a big difference for the production value chain and consumers. Juan Carlos Marín, the head of grocery stores at Grupo Alcampo, and Juan Vilar carried out an experiment in which olive oils were placed into a separate aisle at a supermarket and accompanied by informational signs. The supermarket, run by Grupo Alcampo, is located in Linares, Andalusia, and receives an estimated 3,000 customers daily. The store sells 650 different olive oils from 53 brands, both local and international. In the aisle, the olive oils were divided by category and accompanied by informational signage and QR codes detailing where the olives were grown, information about the producer, the olive varieties used in the oil and the cultivation method. After a year of this setup, the study demonstrated that customers were willing to pay 5.5 percent more for olive oil and bought 18 percent more olive oil than shoppers in regularly laid out Spanish supermarkets. The figures were even higher for extra virgin olive oil in the setup, with customers purchasing 13 percent more extra virgin olive oil and spending 5 percent more than in regular supermarkets. “The result of the description, explanation and information presented to customers about olive oils generated greater loyalty on the part of the consumer, a willingness to pay for the value of the product based on its attributes, greater consumption of the product and resulted in an increase in sales,” Vilar told Olive Oil Times. However, the conclusions of this study go beyond olive oil sales and shed some light on how people shop. In specialty stores and small businesses, vendors generally take the time to explain the value of their products to the consumer, which allows them to make a more informed decision. This is known as active shopping. On the other hand, most consumers making purchases at supermarkets are engaged in passive shopping. They are provided with vast amounts of choices with little information besides the food package design and price. A consumer survey from the University of Southern California indicated that while 64 percent of supermarket shoppers in the United States read nutrition labels, many were unable to use that information to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy food. Instead, the survey found that shoppers rely on item location, packaging, color and marketing buzzwords when making their purchases. While their study focused specifically on olive oil, Vilar believes separating any type of specialty food from cheaper alternatives and explaining its value to consumers would result in more sales and higher margins. “What I would do within the supermarkets would be to increase the staff of people who are dedicated to explaining the products in an accessible, simple and fast way,” he concluded. “In any product, not only in olive oil, when you describe the product well, the result is always an increase in sales.”
According to a report by the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy in New York, Greece was the second-largest exporter of table olives to the United States in the first half of 2022, behind Spain. Spanish exports of table olives to the U.S. exceeded 63,000 tons in the first six months of the year, while approximately 57,000 tons of olives were imported from Greece during the same period. Table olive exports from Morocco and Italy reached 19,000 and 11,000 tons, respectively. In terms of value, however, Greece topped the list of U.S. table olive suppliers with a total turnover exceeding $124 million (€127 million) due to the higher average price – $2.20 (€2.25) per kilogram. In comparison, American consumers paid an average of $1.47 (€1.50) per kilogram of Spanish table olives, with the value of Spain’s table olive exports totaling $93 million (€95 million) in the first six months of 2022. At a global level, exports of Greek table olives are expected to increase by around 20 percent in value this year compared to the 2021/22 crop year. “If we can sustain our pace, we will have a record year of exports [of table olives] of more than €600 million,” said Nelos Georgoudis, the former head of the Panhellenic Association of Manufacturers, Packers, and Exporters of Table Olives (Pemete). However, the association noted that the previous crop year has been unrewarding for Greek table olive producers. “[The previous season] was one of the most difficult in recent years, not only due to the reduced production [of table olives] in 2021/22 but also due to the negative international economic environment,” Pemete said in a press release. A total of 165,000 tons of table olives were produced in Greece last year, according to data from the European Commission, 24 percent below the country’s rolling five-year average. Despite the absence of rain and shortages of workers in some producing areas, the sector is expected to rebound with an estimated production of more than 200,000 tons in the 2022/23 crop year.
Despite built-in expectations of a disastrous harvest, few in Spain were prepared for olive oil prices to reach record highs last week. “We are living in a moment that is completely unprecedented,” Juan Vilar, a strategic consultant, told Olive Oil Times. “Olive oil has never had such a high price.” According to Poolred, an olive oil price database run by the Andalusian government, extra virgin olive oil is currently selling for €4,397 per 100 tons, virgin olive oil is priced at €4,261 per 100 tons and lampante olive oil is selling for €4,005 per 100 tons. Álvaro Olavarría, manager of Oleoestepa, a cooperative, told Agropopular that olive oil prices at origin rose between 25 and 47 percent compared to this time last year. “Last week, both the Andalusian government and the Spanish government made an official harvest forecast,” Vilar said. “Their official harvest forecasts are somewhat lower than what was thought would happen.” Spain’s agriculture ministry said it anticipated production to be a bit less than 800,000 tons. Andalusia’s agriculture ministry said it expected a bit more than 700,000 tons. For his part, Vilar thinks Spain’s final production figures will fall somewhere between 900,000 and 1 million tons. “The official reading made by the two ministries has produced a price increase,” Vilar said, describing this as an unprecedented moment for the Spanish olive oil market. Normally, prices are tied to the Spanish harvest since the country is the world’s largest olive oil producer by a significant margin, accounting for roughly half of the global yield in any given year. “When there is low production in Spain, prices are high and when there is a lot of production in Spain, prices fall,” Vilar said. “This is something that has been repeated for the last 40 years.” However, this year’s harvest, which could be the worst of the past decade, has coincided with significant declines in other large producers, including Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Tunisia. At first, when unofficial production estimates were 1 million tons, Spanish millers and bottlers speculated that this year’s yield, combined with leftover stocks from last year, would just about cover demand at home and from abroad. “Demand remains more or less stable,” Vilar said. “So now, there is not enough supply to cover all the demand during the coming year.” These unprecedented price increases come months after olive oil prices experienced a separate but equally uncharacteristic 15 percent increase caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The two countries are among the largest sunflower oil exporters. The combination of Western sanctions on Russia and the severe damage done to Ukraine’s sunflower harvest caused some Spanish restaurants and consumers to swap sunflower oil for olive oil. Still, Olavarría urged consumers not to stop buying olive oil. He said the average consumer would only pay €5 more per person in 2022 compared to 2021. However, Vilar said if no rain comes before the harvest gets underway in the coming weeks, prices at origin will keep rising. Last month, the European Commission warned the drought is likely to persist on the Iberian Peninsula until November. “There is no way for prices to stop rising,” he concluded. “If it does not rain, it would be impossible to predict how far the prices will rise.”
With the start of this year’s olive harvest in Split, the largest city in Dalmatia and the second largest in Croatia after Zagreb, a ceremony was held to honor local winners of the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Blaženko Boban, the prefect of Split-Dalmatia County, and Anđelko Katavić, head of economy and agriculture, welcomed the award-winning growers and millers to the local capitol. Croatians earned a combined 96 awards at the 2022 edition of the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. Producers from Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia’s most significant olive-growing subregion, earned 10 Gold Awards and seven Silver Awards. “The success of our olive growers brings us together, not only in Split-Dalmatia County but also in the local communities from which the olive growers come and in Croatia,” Boban said. “We can’t take a big step forward right away, but we can take a lot of small steps, such as organizing organic olive cultivation through co-financing the shipment of samples to future competitions,” he added. Ivica Ljubenkov, president of the Association of Olive Growers and Oil Producers of Croatia, expressed his satisfaction with the reception and the meeting. “We reached concrete conclusions and agreed on future actions and further communication,” Ljubenkov said. He also praised the success of all Croatian producers at the NYIOOC. In 2022, the competition received 1,244 samples from 28 countries. Croatian extra virgin olive oils earned the third-highest award tally behind Italy and Spain. Split-Dalmatia County is home to 2 million olive trees, about 40 percent of the country’s total. The island of Brač alone hosts about 1 million of them. The county stretches about 120 kilometers from end to end and includes the islands of Drvenik, Čiovo, Brač, Hvar and Šolta. Oblica is the main variety, followed by Drobinka, Levantika, Lastovka and Sitnica. Despite the drought and scorching summer temperatures, which reached an average of 40 ºC, the harvest is expected to be solid this year. The first autumn rains across Croatia improved the development of the fruits and increased the amount of oil in them. Furthermore, there were no pests or diseases, and many producers expect high-quality yields.
Many Italian millers will have easier access to funds needed to renovate their mills and upgrade machinery after the European Commission has given the go-ahead to €100 million in subsidies. Originally earmarked by the Italian government last spring, the money is meant to make mills more competitive at a global level and environmentally sustainable. According to the latest data published by Ismea, the public agency for services to the agricultural market, more than 4,000 olive mills operate in the country. While many companies process large volumes of olives, smaller mills in the countryside gather olives from small growers. Due to their size, many milling businesses have more difficulties accessing loans to invest in technological upgrades and incorporate the most modern equipment into their milling process. This has been exacerbated by rising energy costs due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the country’s severe drought, which has led to low olive yields across the country. As the harvest season gets underway in many areas, a significant production drop is expected to impact both large and small millers directly. Yields are so low in some regions that several operators delayed their seasonal opening. Elsewhere, millers are raising the costs of olive processing. According to the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, projects financed with the new subsidies should reduce energy consumption and lower their environmental impact. Some of the funds will be explicitly directed to re-use operating waste for energy production and the installation of clean energy sources. Still, the fundamental aim of the new measure is to further improve the final product quality by adopting new technologies and machinery. In the next four years, millers will be able to present their renovation plans to the ministry, which will cover up to 50 percent of the cost with new funds. Coldiretti Puglia, a farmers’ association, lauded the European Commission’s decision to green-light the subsidies. “It is an opportunity for the whole production chain, which is worth €1.2 billion [for growers] and €3 billion [for millers and bottlers],” said Savino Muraglia, president of the association. A significant portion of the new funds will probably go to millers in Puglia, the largest olive oil-producing region in Italy, where olive groves cover one-fourth of its agricultural lands. In the next few weeks, the specific procedures for accessing the new funds should be finalized. The new funds are part of a broader Agriculture 4.0 initiative, which will see €400 million invested into the sector by 2023. Agriculture 4.0 involves implementing precision agricultural technologies, including more digitalization and targeted irrigation, fertilization and pesticide application. According to the millers, the sector is paying the consequences of a rapidly changing international market. At the same time, extreme weather events and the spread of Xylella fastidiosa in Puglia continue to harm growers and producers.
Olive oil production in the European Union is expected to fall to 1.7 million tons in the 2022/23 crop year, according to estimates published in the bloc’s short-term agricultural outlook report. This year’s olive oil yield represents a 25 percent drop compared to last year and is 20 percent below the rolling five-year average. In Spain and Italy, production is expected to fall by 30 percent. In Portugal, officials noted that the irrigated super-high-density olive groves of Alentejo were less affected by the Iberian Peninsula’s ongoing drought. Nevertheless, production in the country is expected to fall 40 percent compared to last year. According to the E.U. projections, olive oil volumes will fall in all producing countries, with the notable exception of Greece. “The drought that enveloped significant areas in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and portions of North Africa since last winter did not harm the main Greek production areas,” Vasilios Frantzolas, an olive oil taster and quality consultant, told Olive Oil Times. He added that Greece experienced similar problems with drought and wildfires in the 2021/22 crop year. “In August this year, instead, we had generally moderate temperatures,” Frantzolas said. “Only in a few areas, some higher temperatures might have impacted production by damaging the flowering.” “The olive oil yield in Greece is considered abundant when it reaches 300,000 tons,” he added. “Talking with olive growers and millers in several areas, the estimate for the current season is between 270,000 and 285,000 tons of olive oil, with an estimated 100,000 coming from Crete, which produced approximately 60,000 tons last year.” Away from Greece, southern and western Europe faced one of the hottest summers on record, accompanied by heatwaves and arid weather, which stunted the development of the olive trees at critical moments. The combined drought indicator of the E.U. Joint Research Center reported that 33 percent of Europe faced a soil moisture deficit in September. Meanwhile, 26 percent of the continent is in a state of alert due to crops and vegetation showing severe signs of stress. The center emphasized how the extraordinary summer conditions pushed many national and regional authorities to restrict water use for irrigation. “In some regions, very low reservoirs levels made field irrigation impossible,” E.U. officials wrote. Along with olive development, these severe conditions also impacted staple summer crops, such as grain maize, soybeans and sunflowers. The main olive oil-producing countries in the European Union are also some of the continent’s largest olive oil consumers. According to the report, lower levels of olive oil production will likely be supplemented by increased imports. Additionally, lower production is among the factors fueling rising olive oil prices and may result in a decrease in demand in some price-sensitive foreign markets. E.U. officials said exports could fall by 10 percent. The officials added that 625,000 tons of ending stocks from previous harvests might not be enough to relieve pressure on prices at the origin. However, Frantzolas said demand for olive oil and, therefore, prices also would depend on other edible oil prices. “If those prices go down, that will trim the rise in olive oil prices,” Frantzolas said, as some consumers would ditch olive oil for cheaper alternatives. As a result, he estimated that E.U. olive oil consumption could fall by up to 6 percent. Frantzolas added that developments from the war in Ukraine would determine other edible oil prices. “Seed oil prices could go down as Russia seems to have allowed Ukrainian shipments to leave the country,” he said. E.U. agricultural officials agreed that increasing pressure on consumer budgets caused by inflation might force Europeans to limit their olive oil consumption, which they said could decline by up to 9 percent. However, not everyone agrees with the analysis of the E.U. agricultural outlook report, with so...
A small fraction of the world’s olive-growing surface produces more than one-third of all olive oil due to the immense yields of super-high-density groves. According to experts, the share of olive oil produced by super-high-density groves is likely to grow. A report published by the Spanish tree nursery company Agromillora said approximately 3 percent of the olive-growing hectares in the world are super-high-density groves. Still, their yield has grown to 36 percent of the global olive oil production. Super-high-density groves, also known as hedge olive orchards, comprise about 1,600 olive trees per hectare. Trees are planted approximately one meter apart in rows three to four meters wide. Their management is entirely mechanized. According to the study by Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants, 11.6 million hectares of olive groves are spread across 66 countries. Of these, 400,000 hectares are super high density. According to Agromillora, this approach allows greater productivity and lower workforce costs due to the high mechanization, early entry into production and efficient harvesting. Due to their dependence on water availability and mostly flat landscapes, not all groves can be planted with this approach. Where possible, growers can adopt specific cultivars which have been shown to offer the best results in such an environment, such as Arbosana, Koroneiki or Manzanilla. According to Agromillora, harvesting a hectare of super-high-density olive trees requires one or two hours at most, with harvesting costs reduced to €0.03 to 0.06 per kilogram of olives. “This type of harvest allows the olive to be harvested at the correct state of maturation and a quick delivery of the fruits to the mill for transformation, reducing the deterioration that they may suffer and the possible undesirable flavors or aromas in the oil,” the company said. Employing 44,000 workers remunerated with €90 million per annum, investment in super-high density groves reaches approximately €7 billion, with an average turnover per harvest of around €2 billion, about 15 percent of average global revenues. The report said super-high-density groves generate about €450 million per annum in terms of tax revenue and investment in the local economy. The authors said the report’s primary goal is to emphasize how the impact of the super-high density groves is not limited to yields. The report argues that super-high-density groves can also improve sustainability and biodiversity. “It has been scientifically established that the olive grove in hedgerows is a catalyst of biodiversity as through vegetation cover and the optimization of resources, especially water, it slows erosion,” the report said. “With its 35,000 hectares planted annually (according to estimates from the three crop years studied), [such orchards are] somehow counteracting, vegetative and gradually, the 420 million hectares of forest that have been lost worldwide since 1990,” it added. However, not everyone agrees with this conclusion. A 2021 study from the University of Jaén found that traditional olive groves sequester more carbon dioxide than super-high-density groves. A separate study, also published by the University of Jaén in 2021, concluded that intensive agricultural practices in olive groves usually cause biodiversity loss by exerting intense pressure on plants, birds and insects. A third study from Spain’s national agency for scientific research (CSIC) linked super-high-density olive cultivation to increased desertification in Andalusia, the world’s largest olive oil-producing region. Away from the environmental claims and counter-claims, the report also found that super-high-density groves are a significant source of employment in rural areas and also combat food waste. “Wherever it is possible to transform the olive grove into a hedge, it sets more population in the territory than any other type of olive cultivation, and what settles the people in the territory is wealth,” said Juan Vilar du...
Olive growers, millers, retailers and regional administrators in Sicily are working together to overcome rising production costs as the 2022 harvest gets underway on the island. At stake is one-tenth of Italy’s annual olive oil yield, and several municipalities on the island have already suspended harvest operations. Local experts fear that increasing costs for growers and millers will translate into significantly higher olive oil prices for consumers, which may lead some to turn to cheaper alternatives. According to the local branch of the farmers association Coldiretti, transforming the fruits now costs growers at least €0.16 per kilogram, compared with the €0.12 average for the previous season. Due to the energy costs, the bill in several areas could reach €0.20. Along with energy, costs for bottling, labeling and shipping have also gone up. Coldiretti estimated that one liter of Sicilian extra virgin olive oil could end up with a €10 price tag. Given the low harvest expectations and rising costs, there is concern that some small growers and millers will decide not to harvest at all. According to Ismea, the public agency for services to the agricultural market, one liter of olive oil in Sicily is currently traded at €5.65 per kilogram, which is below current production costs. Mario Terrasi, president of the Sicilian olive producer association, Oleum Sicilia, told local media that high-priced local extra virgin olive oil is already in supermarkets, sitting on the shelves near far cheaper products. “Whichever product is cheaper comes from other Italian regions, other European countries such as Spain or Greece or even by extra-E.U. countries such as Tunisia,” said Terrasi. “Now we are anticipating a further price rise, and [many consumers] do not understand how quality and the health profile of our product justify those prices no matter what.” Terrasi added that both large retailers and restaurants would have to deal with such increases. “Those are sectors which will not adjust to such quickly rising prices,” he said. “That means our extra virgin olive oil could go unsold, [with their market share] substituted by Spanish extra virgin olive oil. Those are different. but come from companies less fragmented than ours, and more competitive.” Coldiretti said Sicily’s olive groves cover more than 160,000 hectares and are linked to a huge portion of local farmers’ income. According to Ismea, there are more than 618 active millers on the island. In the 2021/22 crop year, Sicily produced 38,000 tons of olive oil by transforming more than 281,000 tons of olives. Olive oil and table olive producers on Sicily traditionally enjoy a slight competitive advantage as their harvest begins earlier than in other Italian regions. During a meeting with local authorities and stakeholders in Trapani, on the west of the island, Coldiretti noted how this advantage is gone since the harvest will not proceed. “The sale price both for olive oil and table olives is very low and not yet established for the season,” Coldiretti said. “That puts hundreds of companies at risk, they might close down, triggering the worst scenario for the whole province, which relies on olive farming income.” A sign of hope came from Agrigento and Sciacca, key production regions on the southern coast. There, growers, regulators and stakeholders managed to reach a temporary agreement that may facilitate harvest operations. They agreed to fix the price for extra virgin olive oil at €6 per kilogram for the following 10 days, a short period during which the regional authorities are expected to enact a publicly-financed measure that will allow lower millers’ energy costs back to the levels of 2021. To this end, many local council representatives have signed an open letter in which they warn of the 50 to 70 percent rise in energy costs for millers. In the letter, they ask local and regional authorities to work together to support one of Sicily’s most relevant farming sectors.
Researchers in Canada demonstrated that following an eating program similar to the Mediterranean diet was associated with improved microbiome composition and lower intestinal inflammation. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes tissue swelling in the digestive tract and often leads to abdominal pain and malnutrition. While its causes are unknown, previous studies suggest that diet is an important contributor to Crohn’s disease risk. Other studies have shown that Crohn’s disease patients also have different microbial compositions from healthy people, which led the researchers to hypothesize that the two are connected. To test the hypothesis, the researchers collected stool samples from 2,289 healthy first-degree relatives of Crohn’s disease patients and had them fill out validated food frequency questionnaires asking about their diet in the previous year. The researchers identified three dietary and microbial composition clusters based on their analysis. One of the clusters resembled the Mediterranean diet, one resembled a Western diet and the final dietary cluster was a hybrid. The researchers found that the people following a MedDiet-like eating pattern generally had a microbial composition with an abundance of fiber-degrading bacteria – Ruminococcus and Faecalibacterium – and significantly lower levels of gut inflammation. “This is likely due to the increased amount of fiber associated with higher consumption of leafy greens, cereals and other fiber-rich food items [in the MedDiet],” Williams Turpin, a researcher at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and lead author of the study, told Olive Oil Times. “In this environment, microbes that are capable of degrading fiber (which are not digested by the host) have an ecological advantage, which may promote their abundance in humans consuming more fiber-rich food,” he added. There was no evidence to suggest the consumption of a single food item directly led to a more diverse microbiome. However, Turpin said, “olive oil showed a trend toward increased microbiome diversity,” but “a weak association with lower inflammation in the expected direction.” Despite the murkiness between the links of single foods to gut microbiome diversity and subclinical inflammation, the links with long-term dietary patterns are more evident. “Our study demonstrated that the lower level of subclinical inflammation might be related to both the dietary pattern and the associated microbiome,” Turpin said. “This conclusion is supported by causal inference analysis demonstrating that 47 percent of the anti-inflammatory properties of the Mediterranean-like diet were driven by the microbiome.” “This also means that a Mediterranean-like diet has a direct effect on subclinical inflammation (53 percent),” he added. “We believe that a microbiome capable of degrading fiber may produce beneficial short chain fatty acids in vivo, which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties.” Turpin said the study’s results could help guide future dietary strategies that affect the microbial composition and host gut inflammation to prevent diseases. “This study suggests that an intervention to prevent disease onset should consider the baseline microbiome, as well as a certain diet, which may only be beneficial depending on the presence of a certain microbiome profile,” he said. “This is especially true since this study has identified that certain bacteria contribute to the anti-inflammatory potential of a Mediterranean diet,” Turpin added. The results of this study complement those of a 2020 study that found patients suffering from Crohn’s disease who followed a Mediterranean diet, including olive oil, for six months saw their conditions improve. Instead of focussing on gut microbiomes, the researchers investigated the relationship between weight and the disease. Obese Crohn’s disease patients following the Mediterranean diet saw their body mass index fall along with the occurrence of their symptoms.
When Australian olive farmers started harvesting, they expected an excellent yield due to the expansion of the country’s groves and good weather. However, production was significantly down from last year. “The 2022 crop looks to be around 70 percent of last year’s crop,” Michael Southan, the chief executive of the Australian Olive Association (AOA), told Olive Oil Times. “The harvest this year was an ‘off year,’ and results were mixed.” He said the AOA found some groves had their best yields while others had very little or no olives to harvest. “The groves that performed well are showing the benefits of tree regeneration and pruning,” he said, “while the groves that did not perform well generally suffered from insect damage or were just too wet to harvest with machines.” “Therefore, they had to handpick, resulting in much lower yields as not all trees were picked,” Southan added. “Overall, the year has been better than we anticipated, as the drop from last year’s record crop was not as great as we have experienced in past ‘off’ years.'” According to the Australian Olive Oil Association (AOOA), there is no official tracking of local olive oil production volumes and farmgate sales. Still, the organization estimates the 2022 harvest will yield between 14 and 15 million liters of olive oil, compared to last year’s bumper crop of 20 to 22 million liters. This year’s yield is around 50 percent higher than in 2020. The AOOA attributed the lower yield to the biennial cycle of olive bearing. David Valmorbida, the president of the AOOA, said producers had mixed results across the country, depending on weather conditions. “The Hunter Valley was massively impacted by floods, which came one after the other, creating unfavorable conditions at the time of flowering, and the trees didn’t get fruit,” Amanda Bailey, an AOOA committee member, told Olive Oil Times. She said other parts of New South Wales had better results, and parts of Western Australia and Tasmania had outstanding yields. “Labor shortages were definitely an issue which impacted the harvest,” she said. “Many producers could not get the staff needed, and contractor services were also stretched. The shortage of labor was not isolated to the olive harvest. It continues to be an enormous concern across the entire agricultural sector in Australia.” The AOOA said a shortage of bottles and tin cans, together with rising costs of fuel, electricity, fertilizer and packaging, were other issues that affected olive oil producers. Despite these challenges, Cockatoo Grove in Victoria had a good harvest this year. “Coming off last season’s record high, we were pleasantly surprised with this year’s harvest volumes, achieving an above average yield,” co-owner Andrea Cook told Olive Oil Times. “Our 2021 harvest was by far our highest yield, and with the biennial nature of olive cropping, we were expecting our volumes this year to be lower than we produced.” “We were luckier than other groves close to us and managed to harvest in good time,” she added. “Thankfully, we were spared from damaged fruit, and our grove remained accessible, even after the rain.” “However, we have been challenged this year with the rising cost of freight plus staff shortages, both in our own company and with our suppliers,” Cook continued. “We have seen delays in production, supply of raw materials and freight efficiencies. Overall, we are fortunate to have been spared from major impacts of supply shortages.” Boundary Bend, Australia’s largest olive oil producer which is rebranding to Cobram Estate, also yielded a positive result this year. “We are very happy with the season we had and the results we obtained; particularly when considering the challenges of a tight labor market, ongoing Covid outbreaks, rising costs and above average rain,” co-chief executive and chief oil maker Leandro Ravetti told Olive Oil Times. “Although 2022 was going to be an ‘off year,’ it was a very good down season with 53 percent more oil pr...
Olive oil production in Tunisia is expected to reach 200,000 tons in the 2022/23 crop year, a decrease of 15 percent compared to last year, according to the country’s National Olive Oil Board. Last year, Tunisia produced 240,000 tons of olive oil, according to the International Olive Council. Over the past half-decade, the North African country has yielded an average of 257,000 tons per annum. Officials at the National Observatory of Agriculture (Onagri) blamed a lack of rainfall in central and southern Tunisia, drought, heatwaves and many producers entering an ‘off-year’ in the natural alternate bearing cycle of the olive tree for the production decrease. However, production drops were not experienced uniformly across the country’s main olive-growing regions. While the majority experienced production declines, several enjoyed bumper crops. This year, olive growers in Sfax expect to harvest about 70,000 tons of olives, significantly below the average of previous years. Meanwhile, in Monastir, officials anticipate the olive harvest to be 65 percent lower than last year. Producers in the small coastal region of the country located north of Sfax will pick 20,000 tons of olives which will produce 4,000 tons of olive oil. Mounira Gharbi Sahloul, an official at the Regional Commissariat for Agricultural Development, blamed the lack of rain in the winter and spring for the stark decline. Like much of the rest of the Mediterranean basin, Tunisia is also experiencing a severe drought. According to Onagri, reservoirs are at 33 percent capacity on a national level. In some of the largest olive-producing regions in the center of the country, this figure falls to just under 21 percent. Reservoir capacity in the north sits a bit higher at nearly 43 percent. In western Tunisia, olive growers from Gafsa expect to harvest about 50,000 tons of olives, which they would transform into 12,000 tons of olive oil, for the second consecutive year. However, Abdel-Sattar Ghabtan, an official at the Regional Commissariat for Agricultural Development, said the harvest would begin later than usual due to the lack of rain. Meanwhile, growers in Gabès, south of Sfax, anticipate a sharp increase, with production rising to 60,000 tons of olives compared to 31,500 tons last year. In Sidi Bouzid, directly west of Sfax, producers also expect a bumper crop. Growers estimate that olive production will exceed 190,000 tons this year, an increase of 40,000 tons compared to last year. In northeastern Tunisia, officials in the region of Nabeul said they will harvest 58,000 tons of olives this year, a 4-percent increase from last year. In north-central Tunisia, producers from La Manouba anticipate this year’s olive harvest to fall by 13 percent compared to last year. The small region will produce 8,700 tons of olives, which is expected to yield 1,750 tons of olive oil. Just to the north, in Bizerete, producers have predicted a smaller harvest as well and expect to pick 18,000 tons of olives, which is expected to yield 3,600 tons of olive oil. Last year, the region produced 24,000 tons of olives.
As climate change accelerates, we’re going to be under pressure to learn things in the lab and move them into the field faster. I can’t see how we’re going to do this without more acceptance of genetically modified plants.– Marc Nishimura, plant immunity researcher, Colorado State University Scientists have long been trying to understand why plants become more vulnerable to disease when temperatures rise. While relevant research is ongoing, a group of researchers from universities around the world sought ways to restore the plants’ ability to defend against pathogens in hot weather. “Plants get a lot more infections at warm temperatures because their level of basal immunity is down,” said Sheng-Yang He, a plant biologist at Duke University who led the research team. “So we wanted to know, how do plants feel the heat? And can we actually fix it to make plants heat-resilient?” The study, published in Nature, focused on Arabidopsis thaliana, an unassuming weed widely known as the mouse-ear cress, considered the ‘lab rat of plants’ by plant biologists. Arabidopsis thaliana thrives on roadsides, open paths and vacant lots and is used in experiments worldwide due to its short life cycle and short and easy-to-modify genome. The scientists said the main defense hormone of Arabidopsis thaliana is salicylic acid, which is used by many plants, including major crops, to resist disease. However, the production of salicylic acid can be disrupted when temperatures rise a few degrees. “Extreme weather conditions associated with climate change affect many aspects of plant and animal life, including the response to infectious diseases,” the researchers wrote. “Production of salicylic acid, a central plant defense hormone, is particularly vulnerable to suppression by short periods of hot weather above the normal plant growth temperature range via an unknown mechanism.” After years of lab work, the researchers isolated the CBP60g gene, which can withhold the production of the salicylic acid hormone in plants when temperatures rise, neutralizing their defense mechanism. The solution genetically bypassed the gene to restore the plant’s defense at hotter temperatures. “This was a multi-year and multi-institutional effort,” Christian Danve Castroverde, a biologist at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and co-author of the study, told Olive Oil Times. “In 2013, [we] discovered that short periods of high temperature dramatically impact the hormone defenses of Arabidopsis plants against infection by a bacterium called Pseudomonas syringae,” he added. “After several more years, we were eventually successful in identifying the molecular basis of how Arabidopsis immunity is suppressed by warm temperature conditions.” The researchers bypassed the gene in the lab by adding a ‘promoter.’ The short DNA sequence forces the gene to transcribe (copy the DNA sequence into an RNA molecule), restoring Arabidopsis thaliana’s ability to produce the salicylic acid hormone. “Including the salicylic acid receptor and biosynthetic genes, optimized CBP60g expression was sufficient to broadly restore salicylic acid production, basal immunity and effector-triggered immunity at the elevated growth temperature without significant growth trade-offs,” the researchers wrote. The team has started testing gene modification on food crops such as rapeseed. They also plan to experiment with more crops, including wheat and potatoes. However, Castroverde said a significant amount of field research is required before applying the fix at a large scale. “Many plants have CBP60g-like genes, and a lot of them have the capacity to make salicylic acid,” he said. “It looks like plants already have a weapon in their arsenal. Our challenge now is just harnessing this power. In terms of agricultural applications, I believe we have to wait until we have successful results in field trials.” Nevertheless, the specific solution proposed by the research team to restore the plant immune system ...
Italian food exporters are reporting significant growth in value in all major areas, reaching €34.5 billion. According to the Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market’s (Ismea) latest report, agri-food exports grew nearly 18 percent in the first seven months of 2022 compared to the previous year. Despite significant setbacks for farmers across Italy, but especially in the fertile Po Valley, sunflower oil, refined palm oil and extra virgin olive oil exports experienced significant growth in value, along with cereals, milk and wine. Increased olive and vegetable oil exports have largely been attributed to sunflower oil shortages sparked by the war in Ukraine. Ismea said trade figures are also affected by the Euro’s depreciation against the dollar, which makes it cheaper for international buyers to import Italian and European goods. However, a weaker Euro means agri-food imports also cost more for Italian shoppers. As a result, Ismea estimated that Italy would return to a slight agricultural trade deficit, as imports rose 29 percent to reach €34.9 billion. “The agri-food trade balance was structurally in deficit. during the decade 2010 to 2019, while in 2021 it hit a €3.4 billion surplus,” Ismea said. “Such a result is due to the agri-food industry, which represents 85 percent of exports and 65 percent of imports. Similar to the situation in Spain, olive oil exports have helped fuel the rise in exports by value, even as volumes slipped. Additionally, rising olive oil prices across Europe contributed to the increase in export values. Shipments to the United States grew by 15 percent in value in the first seven months of the year, rising to €232 million. However, extra virgin olive oil volumes exported to the U.S. decreased by 1 percent in the same period. In the first part of 2023, overall Italian agri-food exports to the U.S. rose nearly 21 percent to €3.3 billion, making the U.S. the second largest market for agri-food exporters after Germany. Slightly more than 57 percent of all Italian agri-food exports go to, and 69 percent of imports come from other European Union member states. Overall, Italian extra virgin olive oil exports grew by almost 17 percent to €763 million, with a 0.3 percent increase in volumes exported. However, Ismea noted that declining national production means the value of olive oil imports remains high. For example, shipments from Spain grew 30 percent in value In the first seven months of 2022, exceeding €556 million. Still, import volumes in the same period dropped 7 percent.
Olive groves flourish in San Juan, a northwestern province of Argentina, covering a huge area and yielding significant volumes of extra virgin olive oil. The country’s largest olive oil producers thrive in the province, including the super-high-density groves of Solfrut. The company’s flagship extra virgin olive oils won two Gold Awards at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, demonstrating the potential of research and mechanization. “We are so proud of such results. Awards such as these tell us that we are on the right path,” Guillermo Kemp, Solfrut’s commercial director, told Olive Oil Times. “It has been joyful news not only for us here at headquarters but also for all our people in the fields and the mills.” Most of the more than 3,000 hectares of olive groves managed by Solfrut are super-high-density plantations in which trees are placed very close to each other to increase productivity through mechanization. Still, not all Solfrut orchards are alike. “We grow olives in three different locations, each with its own characteristics,” Kemp said. “Our olive plantations go from high-density to super-high density. From 600 trees in the first groves planted by the company 25 years ago to 2,000 trees in the newest ones. The goal is the highest quality in all areas.” High-density and super-high-density groves require irrigation, which has been a significant challenge for Solfrut. “When the company started, this land was considered a desert,” Kemp said. “Lack of water and rainfall are the norm. We have between 80 and 90 millimeters of rain each year.” By comparison, in highly relevant olive-producing areas of the Mediterranean basin, such as Jaén in Spain, 500 to 600 millimeters of rainfall per annum. “Understanding how to proceed and how to better start olive cultivation in this region was not an easy task,” Kemp said. “Which olive cultivars we had to focus on, and what kind of irrigation was needed, all of this required research.” “José Chediack [president of Solfrut’s parent company] traveled to Europe, Australia and California while starting operations here,” he added. “Twenty-five years ago, the first water wells the company dug went 500 meters below the ground.” Kemp recalled how the company initially planted Frantoio and Leccino trees but later switched to Arbosana. “Frantoio trees were beautiful, huge, green, but year after year, they did not bear any fruit. We had to substitute them,” Kemp said. “Thanks to such decades-long research, we now know which cultivars are better to deploy, what kind of irrigation they need and so forth.” Precision irrigation allows Solfrut to reduce water use while ensuring the trees receive the water they need. Planting thousands of irrigated trees in a high desert has impacted the local environment, and over time, new species of plants and animals have started populating the region. “It has become something like an oasis, with animals unseen before, such as foxes and birds, and a growing number of plant species,” Kemp said. Research is ongoing at Solfrut to understand the water cycle, reduce the environmental impact of operations and foster a healthy ecosystem. “That is why about three years ago we established a sustainability committee which is entirely devoted to finding the best ways to optimize production while also working on our circular economy, preservation of resources, such as water, and improving biodiversity,” Kemp said. With that goal in mind, the company has begun to reuse the olive pits for energy production and fertilizer. “Our soil is quite poor, so it is helped by fertilization. We also dry the pits so that one year after their collection, we can use them as fuel for heating,” Kemp said. “But this is just the beginning, as we are constantly improving our environmentally-friendly approach.” For example, Kemp said the company’s bottles are made of light PET, a recycled plastic. Solfrut produces approximately 3,500 tons of olive oil each year, which the company hopes w...
Centuries-old olive trees are not only guardians of our history, but they might also contribute to helping us to better face climate change.– David Granieri, president, Unaprol In the heart of Roman Emperor Hadrian’s spectacular villa, not far from Rome, farmers harvested the olives of the Alberto Bello, the most famous of the ancient trees thriving on the huge estate. The ceremony signaled the beginning of the 2022 harvest in the central Lazio region. Growers and producers used the unique historical setting to express their alarm about the challenges facing traditional olive groves in Italy. Coldiretti, a farmers’ union, and Unaprol, an olive oil producers’ association, warned that a growing number of olive groves are abandoned throughout the country as production costs rise and profit margins drop. “Thirty million trees are at risk,” they said. The groups added that the impact of climate change is taking a toll on productivity while raising future uncertainty. During the ceremony, the associations emphasized how the Roman civilization significantly contributed to the development of olive growing and milling techniques. Olive oil became a source of wealth, and the methods Romans developed continued to be used until the end of the 19th century. Coldiretti and Unaprol added that Italian olive culture comes from that tradition, as ancient Roman authors such as Marco Porzio Catone and Marco Terenzio Varrone in the third and second centuries CE wrote the first production instructions. “Those were the theoretical and technical principles which today still constitute the basis for high-quality olive oil, with a unique range of flavor, tastes, nuances and intensities,” the two associations wrote. Roman culture, they said, led to the many local olive oil producers who have made Italian olive oil famous throughout the world. “Still, 20 percent of the 150 million olive trees of Italy is currently abandoned, as the effects of the war in Ukraine and the international tensions make it difficult to invest in olive growing,” the two associations wrote, citing data coming from Crea, the Italian Council for Research in Agriculture. “With the costs for olive farms multiplying now by 200 percent, almost one out of 10 – 9 percent – works at a loss and risks closing down,” they added. In the shade of the Albero Bello, the two associations said the overall volumes of olive production in the country are falling while energy costs have risen 170 percent. Furthermore, fertilizer costs rose by 129 percent, glass by 30 percent, labels by 35 percent, cardboard by 45 percent, tin cans by 60 percent and plastics by 70 percent. On top of that, electricity now costs five times more than it did last year. Nicola Di Noia, head of the olive oil department in Coldiretti, said the two associations “are committed to reverse course.” “They are committed to restoring and maintaining the olive groves in some of the most relevant archeologic parks in Italy,” he added. “They are also trying to save the Monumental Olive Trees Valley hit by Xylella fastidiosa which is affecting Apulian olive farming.” “By studying centuries-old trees such as Albero Bello in the Hadrian’s Villa. we might identify useful aspects of the resilience to climate change as well as the productive behavior [of the plants], the versatility towards the needs of sustainable intensification of olive cultivation and to improve the health characteristics of the [olive oil] products,” Di Noia continued. David Granieri, Unaprol’s president, said mitigating the impacts of climate change is precisely why it is important to restore the production of Italy’s historic olive trees. “Centuries-old olive trees are not only guardians of our history, but they might also contribute to helping us to better face climate change,” he said. “That is the reason we need to work to restore and bring back production to as many of those trees as possible.” “The goal is not only to improve our knowledge but also to reduce o...
In the aftermath of last summer’s wildfire in Sardinia, artist Michele Ardu created a series of works of art to raise money for reforestation and awareness of the ever-growing risk of such events. Under the title ‘Aurum Urens’ (Latin for ‘Ardent gold’), 15 photos and 30 sculptures were recently displayed at the Magazzini del Sale in Siena, Tuscany. “A few months after the blaze, a national newspaper called me for a photo reportage on the affected Montiferru area,” Ardu told Olive Oil Times. “When I first walked into an olive groves hit by the fire, I felt like I was on a battlefield.” “Yet in such devastation and sadness, I was struck by the elegance and dignity that the remains of the trees kept despite the irreparable damage,” he added. “Then, I realized that art could be a powerful tool to stimulate reflection and convey a positive message.” Ardu collected burned pieces of olive trees and entire plants, mainly from a 10-hectare grove that was almost entirely destroyed by the flames. Located in Cuglieri, the plot is adjacent to the thousand-year-old oleaster of Sa Tanca Manna, which, after the devastation, recently showed signs of life. “The culture and economy of this area, where I am originally from, is strongly linked to olive farming,” said Ardu, who was born in Oristano and lived in London for several years. “That orchard has belonged to the same family for generations,” he added. “The owner told me that it was planted in the mid-1600s. It is clear that the burned olive trees are damage within the damage, for the trashing of the environmental and historical heritage and also for the job loss.” Using the gold leaf technique, he covered the olive tree fragments with a layer of gold. The exhibition setup included the golden pieces and installations obtained from the charred olive trees. “I wanted the visitors of the exhibit to feel the atmosphere of the destroyed orchards, including the smell of fire and earth,” said Ardu, specifying that multi-sensoriality is a major element in his works. “The olive trees and nature, in general, are so precious,” he said. “Everyone can understand that gold is valuable and that the disruption caused by fire ends up in lifeless coal. I imagined that this artistic installation may announce the key value of nature, conveying encouragement to overcome the event of death and destruction while doing something good in concrete terms.” Ardu synthesizes his vision of art as an experience that should impact the viewer due to its universal language. “Wildfires hit many communities in several countries,” he said. “They represent a growing problem closely related to the climate change issue, but I think there is still no real understanding of the need for effective prevention, yet I believe that everyone can do their part, and this is mine.” His project is to bring this exhibition to other countries, such as Spain and California, which also have suffered wildfire damage. “The idea is to create ‘Aurum Urens’ parks around the world to build awareness about the importance of prevention,” Ardu concluded. “Part of the proceeds from sales will be used for continuing the project and planting new trees in the areas affected.”
Access to healthy food and food security in the United States are the goals of the White House’s new national hunger, nutrition and health strategy. President Joe Biden’s administration said it would push for a series of legislative and executive actions through cooperation with national and local institutions, the food industry, schools and other stakeholders. These include improving food access and quality, promoting physical activity and researching food security and nutrition issues. A new approach to food labeling is also a crucial part of the initiative. “We are mobilizing the will to meet a bold goal: to end hunger in America and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030, so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases,” Biden said during a speech introducing the new plan. One of the pillars of the new strategy is increasing consumer awareness about the food they buy to promote healthy choices. To this end, current food labeling will be updated with the introduction of a front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) system. According to the new plan, the FOPL would foster a healthier approach to food and prompt the industry to improve the health of its food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will develop the labeling system, instructing the industry on using the Dietary Guidelines Statements on food labels. To this end, the FDA proposed a rule update for the “healthy” claim on food products which was introduced in 1994 and is now considered outdated. The current regulation specifies limits on contents such as fat, sodium and cholesterol and sets minimum amounts of nutrients such as vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, protein and dietary fiber. Approximately 5 percent of all packaged food currently is labeled “healthy.” The FDA said it would allow the use of the health claim for foods that help consumers follow a healthy dietary pattern according to current nutrition science. The agency cited olive oil as an example of a food that was previously excluded but now may receive the “healthy” claim. The FDA wrote that the use of olive oil as a replacement for more common saturated fats “is supported by current nutrition science and emphasized by federal dietary guidance. as part of a healthy dietary pattern.” Under the current regime, olive oil cannot bear the “healthy” claim because it does not contain 10 percent of the daily value of required nutrients. “Thus, the existing ‘healthy’ claim has become inconsistent with the longstanding purpose of this type of implied claim to indicate that the nutrient levels in a food may help consumers maintain healthy dietary practices,” the FDA said. The core of the new proposed framework uses a food group-based approach which, the FDA said, is “based on the understanding that each food group contributes an array of important nutrients to the diet.” Therefore, the FDA added, the new healthy criteria would “emphasize healthy dietary patterns by requiring food products” to be labeled “healthy” when they “contain a certain amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups recommended by the Dietary Guidelines, 2020 to 2025.” Once enacted, the new regulation would limit added sugars, saturated fats and sodium. It would also include “certain recordkeeping requirements for foods bearing the claim where compliance cannot be verified through information on the product label.” Comments on the new FDA proposed regulation update will be accepted until December 28, 2022.
Slovenian olive growers produced this year’s first oil even before the official start of the olive harvest on September 30 with Župan’s Olive’s Olive of Trust event. The first oil was produced on September 18 at the Babić oil mill in Babić near Koper, the largest town in Slovenian Istria, where 90 percent of Slovenia’s olives are grown on about 2,000 hectares. Olive grower Daniel Stojkovič Kukulin did not hide his satisfaction with the quality of his first oils of the season. “There are as many as 1,340 milligrams of polyphenols in a liter. A real elixir,” Stojkovič said. He was the first in Slovenia to begin harvesting. Other Slovenian olive growers also showed interest in an earlier harvest. Among them are Vanja Dujc, Franc Morgan and Boris Jenko, some of the country’s most successful producers. Many announced that they would start picking olives next week. They are satisfied with the quality of the fruits, and the harvest is better than expected, considering the prolonged summer drought, above-average temperatures and mysterious fruit drop in July. Along with quality, officials from the Institute of Olive Growing in Koper confirmed that the quality of the first oils they analyzed is also very high. So far, the oils have a very high polyphenol content. This means they are bitter and spicy oils, rich in antioxidants and likely to maintain their quality for longer. Previously, researchers have shown that polyphenol counts in olive oils are higher after dry summers. In addition, drought and high temperatures did not favor the development of diseases, such as peacock eye, or pests, such as the olive fruit fly. The bacterial blight of olive trees, which has caused enormous damage in recent years in neighboring Italy, was not noticed either. “The share of damaged fruits due to olive fly attacks is significantly lower than in 2021,” said Milena Bučar Miklavčić, head of the aforementioned laboratory. She compared this year’s olive growing season with 2003, which was also dry but yielded a record-high amount of olives. The yields in the main olive-growing areas are very high. The oils are spicy, bitter and fruity. “We can enjoy aromas reminiscent of almonds, radicchio, artichokes, green tomatoes, olive leaves and various types of fruit,” said Bučar Miklavčić. Minister of Agriculture Irena Šinko also expressed satisfaction with this year’s harvest. Participating in a traditional event organized by the municipality of Izola and the Association of Olive Growers of Slovenian Istria, she wished growers a successful season and emphasized the importance of olive growing in Slovenia. She added that olive growing is a promising branch of the economy, evidenced by the increasing number of olive growers and groves in the past several years. She also touched on the drought that caused considerable damage this summer. “Like last year, the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Protection and Rescue also granted state aid to farms that suffered damage to crops due to the 2022 drought,” she said. “Olive growers will also have the right to this assistance. The damage reports were completed this month.” Šinko also presented olive growers Slovenia’s national strategic plan to implement the latest iteration of the Common Agricultural Policy, which comes into force in January 2023 and runs through 2027. Slovenia’s national strategic plan includes investments in production and marketing and promoting cooperative farming measures. The CAP also focuses on mitigating the impacts of climate change and introduced agro-climate payments for farmers affected by extreme weather events. Šinko added that this year there were changes in the use of olive pomace as fertilizer: “This means that under certain conditions, olive growers will be able to use olive pomace as fertilizer on agricultur...
In the face of climate change, as a small producer, we have to be way more reactive and flexible than in the past.- Claire Coutin, owner, Mas des Bories Unusual weather conditions after the flowering and during the summer have affected French olive growers’ expectations for the 2022 harvest. Growers and experts believe the olive oil yield in the country will be significantly lower compared to previous years. In August, producers estimated the harvest would be 50 percent below last year’s. “The changing climate is an increasing challenge. The dryness we experienced this year, coupled with very high temperatures, might affect quantity and quality in many areas,” Marie Barbé, technical manager at Domaine de Leos, a producer in Provence and NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition winner, told Olive Oil Times. “At the beginning of the season, we were very happy with the flowering, then came the winds and the heatwaves, so a lot of flowers dried up,” she added. “On top of that is the scarcity of water which has been having an impact on the development of the olive.” Anthony Bérenguier, olive oil production manager at Moulins de Callas in southeastern France, told local media that he expects a 20 to 60 percent lower yield. “Normally, I can plan for 60 to 80 tons per year in my 12 hectares,” he said. “This season, I do not expect to reach half of that.” According to Olivier Nasles, president of the National Committee of Organic Agriculture, there will be a considerable production drop in the 2022 harvest. “We will have to be happy if we manage to produce 3,000 tons [of olive oil] against the 5,500 of the last season,” he said. Nasles told LeGrandPastis that such numbers are not “catastrophic.” “But when we look at the behavior of the olive groves, we no longer fully understand what is happening,” he said, referencing the increasingly evident impact of climate change on traditional olive production. Producers say that changes are coming to olive growers, and adaptation is vital. “In just 20 years, I have seen a lot of changes, so we have to adapt,” Barbé said. “For instance, you have to study the cultivars, understanding which of them are reacting better to change.” Jean-Benoit Hugues, the owner of Moulin Castelas in Les Baux-de-Provence, told Anadolu Agency that he expects a 50 percent drop in olive oil production. Hughes blamed the heatwave suffered in the region. “We lost a lot of the harvest, and the olives which survived are too small.” Barbé said adaptation to the changing climate is vital to organic farming. “During this hot, dry summer, we provided the trees some emergency irrigation but no more than that,” she said. “The aim is a good harvest, of course, but I do not want to push the trees.” “We prefer to follow nature and the season, to adapt to its rhythm,” Barbé added. “We just aim at maintaining the roots of the trees in a good state so they can produce good quality fruits.” “Our approach is entirely organic,” she continued. “Some organic amino acids might be used to protect the trees from excess heat, and other organic farming techniques aim to prevent an excess of evapotranspiration in the field. The goal is to adapt to the climate and continue focusing on high quality.” The country’s most relevant table olive and olive oil-producing regions are Bouches-du-Rhône, le Gard, la Drôme, le Var and le Vaucluse. All have been affected to some extent by the exceptional weather conditions of the last few months. Eight Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) extra virgin olive oils are produced in those regions. Such PDOs represent approximately 27 percent of French olive oil production. According to France Olive, an industry association, 66 percent of national olive oil production comes from southern Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Some small growers managed to avoid the wor...
Olive growers and producers in the southern Italian region of Campania have teamed up with local authorities to promote extra virgin olive oil and foster an environmentally-friendly approach to used cooking oil disposal. In a series of events announced by the municipality of Sorrento with the local waste management company, residents are invited to bring their used cooking oil to special areas for proper disposal. The more they bring, the more extra virgin olive oil the municipality will reward them in exchange. The Sorrento peninsula, which faces the Bay of Naples and Capri island, is the home of some of the region’s most celebrated extra virgin olive oils. It is also an incredibly scenic part of the southwestern Italian coastline, attracting tourists from all over the world. Local authorities explained that proper cooking oil disposal helps maintain the region’s beauty and biodiversity. “Those residents that will give over 10 liters of exhausted cooking oil will receive a bottle of extra virgin olive oil,” Luigi Di Prisco, head of the municipal Council, told the local newspaper Il Mattino. He added that all participants would also receive a container to store used cooking oil at home before disposing of it. “This is one more way to promote respect for the environment, by rewarding virtuous behavior,” Di Prisco said. The Amalfi municipality announced a similar initiative. Located on the southern shores of the Sorrento peninsula, it is the heart of the Amalfi coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site. “We are working to preserve our landscape, artistic and cultural heritage and to foster sustainability which is a key factor of protection and promotion,” said councilwoman Ilara Cuomo. “All citizens must enact virtuous reuse, waste reduction and recycle. triggering a circular economy that counteracts the single-use throwaway culture.” While not always linked to the distribution of extra virgin olive oil, campaigns focused on recycling exhausted cooking oils have been on the rise throughout Italy. The random dispersion of used vegetable oils is considered a significant environmental pollutant and was the focus of a recent national conference. “When used vegetable oil ends up in our seas, its pollution kills marine vegetation,” said Francesco Mancini, president of the national consortium for the recycling of vegetable and animal oils (CONOE). “This happens because it creates a sort of filter on the water surface which prevents solar rays from reaching the sea floor.” CONOE data show that its recycling figures rose from 15,000 tons in 2002 to 76,000 in 2018. Italy produces about 260,000 tons of cooking oil each year. A growing number of companies in the production chain are joining the consortium, which represents more than 300,000 members who use cooking oil, such as restaurants. Over time, Italians have been finding new and creative ways to utilize used cooking oil. One of these is as fuels for vaporettos, traditional water buses that carry around tourists and residents in Venice. Since the trial period in 2018, vaporettos increasingly run on cooking oil-derived biofuels. Treated cooking oil is also being incorporated into cosmetics, industrial soaps, inks, tanning greases and car waxes. CONOE estimates that almost 90 percent of recycled cooking oil is used as fuel in the country.
Farmers and producers in Andalusia, the world’s largest olive oil-producing region, expect a yield of 587,000 tons in the 2022/23 crop year, a 49-percent decrease compared to last year’s total and 47.5 percent below the rolling five-year average. According to the regional government, which published its official production estimate earlier this week, this will be the second worst harvest since records began but will not reach the low of the 2012/13 crop year. Officials in the region have blamed the production decrease on a heatwave in May and the extreme summer drought. “The yield will fall by 50 percent this year mainly because of the two or three days of high temperatures we had during the flowering period in May,” Roberto García Ruiz, an agricultural researcher at the University of Jaén specializing in olive cultivation, told Olive Oil Times. Temperatures exceeded 35 ºC in May and coincided with the blossoming of the olive trees. In many groves, the extreme heat caused the flowers to fall from the trees and resulted in no fruit production. The enduring drought, which some researchers said was the worst the Iberian Penisula had seen in more than 1,000 years, resulted in trees that flowered before or after the heatwave dropping or sacrificing their fruit to save water. Overall, year-on-year production figures are down significantly in all eight of Andalusia’s provinces. However, production in Huelva exceeded the rolling five-year average by 5.7 percent. Producers in Jaén, the most significant olive oil-producing province in Andalusia, expect to yield about 200,000 tons of olive oil, 60 percent below both last year’s total and the rolling five-year average. Along with olive oil yields, Carmen Crespo, Andalusia’s minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and rural development, said that table olive production is also anticipated to decline significantly. Andalusia expects to produce 366,448 tons of table olives, nearly 33 percent below last year’s total. Significant declines in both olive oil and table olive production have led to concerns of considerable unemployment and millions of Euros of lost income for farmers and wages for pickers. “We are facing a shorter harvest than normal, which will seriously affect employment,” Crespo said. “Fewer days means less income for field workers.” The Jaén chapter of Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias, Spain’s leading agricultural cooperative, previously estimated that the province would lose up to €1 billion as a result of the poor harvest.
A Lithuanian environmental engineering firm has developed a new drug to prevent the spread of Xylella fastidiosa and treat infected plants, its chief executive told Olive Oil Times. Yaroslav Churakov of Quantum Satis Engeneering said the company was working on a treatment to protect seeds from fungi and bacteria during germination when they determined that it may help olive growers with Xylella fastidiosa. Xylella fastidiosa is one of the most dangerous plant bacteria in the world. Two subspecies – multiplex and pauca – infect olive trees and cause Olive Quick Decline Syndrome, which has no cure. According to the European Commission, Xylella fastidiosa causes an estimated €5.5 billion in production losses annually. The bacteria have been identified in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. However, Churakov claims his company’s new drug can kill Xylella fastidiosa bacteria without harming the olive tree, other plants or humans. “Laboratory studies have shown high efficacy of the drug in the suppression of various subspecies of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa,” he said. “The drug is applied by spraying and creating a cloud,” Churakov added. “Getting on leaves, the drug penetrates the internal tissues and fluids and begins to circulate in the plant, suppressing pathogenic microorganisms.” The company is currently in the process of patenting the formula of the drug. As a result, Churakov declined to comment on its ingredients or how it is made. However, he attributed the potentially game-changing treatment to the development of nanodiamonds, a carbon nanostructure capable of penetrating cell walls in plant tissue while transporting other substances. “An increase in yield in the amount of 10 to 15 percent is achieved due to the presence of certain isotopes that act as catalysts for chemical and physical processes in plant cells,” Churakov said. “Also, the use of the drug contributes to the increase of plant immunity and resistance to negative factors such as poor ecology, toxic precipitation, impact chemical toxic plant treatments and artificial fertilizers,” he added. Churakov said olive growers would need to apply about 1 ton of the treatment per hectare of olive trees. He declined to discuss the cost of the treatment but implied it could be fairly high. “At this stage, the cost of the drug will be discussed with each individual plantation owner,” he said. “Part of the cost of the drug can be covered by us, part by olive producers. Perhaps olive growers will be able to attract grants from the state to cover the cost of processing trees.” Olive Oil Times asked independent experts about the viability of Quantum Satis Engeneering’s treatment. Rodrigo Krugner, a supervisory researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture’s research service, did not comment on whether he thought the product would be effective for farmers. Still, he said: “I haven’t seen any peer-reviewed publication demonstrating the efficacy of this product against Xylella fastidiosa. There is quite a bit of research on candidate antimicrobial products, but nothing is used commercially as far as I know.” Irene Zenetti, a spokeswoman for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), also did not comment on the viability of the treatment but said an opinion published by EFSA in 2019 “concluded that at that date, there was no control measure available to eliminate Xylella fastidiosa from a diseased plant in open field conditions.” However, Churakov emphasized that the company had invested significantly in the development of the drug and added that the investment would likely pay off for farmers through more robust yields and the prevention of Xylella fastidiosa. “Our company has invested a lot of money in the development of the drug, and today the initiative s...
Food products sold in the European Union will soon have to display uniform front-of-pack labels (FOPL), according to the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. Stella Keery-Ah-kiddiss confirmed in a speech to European agricultural ministers that the official regulation for a common food labeling platform is close to being published. Keery-Ah-kiddiss praised the efforts of European countries that have already deployed FOPLs that help consumers make healthier choices. However, she warned that so many disparate labels increased costs for businesses and contributed to confusion among consumers. “Many of you have introduced national recommendations or legislation on front-of-pack nutrition labeling, the origin of certain foods and labeling alcoholic beverages,” she said. “However, they are not aligned. This can lead to consumer confusion, barriers to free movement of goods and extra company costs.” Keery-Ah-kiddiss said the European Commission’s decision was being shaped by research undertaken by different European institutions and the recommendations made by consumers, farming associations, food producers and other stakeholders who participated in the public consultation. Keery-Ah-kiddiss added the final decision “takes on board” the European Food Safety Authority’s opinion about the role of the Mediterranean diet in preventing and mitigating a series of widespread diseases. The European Commission is also considering the results of an E.U. Joint Research Center study, which found that consumers prefer effectively simple and colored FOPLs published on the product packaging (as opposed to a QR code), such as Nutri-Score. The push toward a common and mandatory food packaging label is part of the broader Farm-to-Fork Strategy announced two years ago by the European Commission to promote sustainability and environmentally-friendly food production practices. Front-of-pack food labels are also considered crucial for the goals of the Commission’s Beating Cancer plan. Based on the findings of the JRC report, Nutri-Score appears to remain the most probable candidate among the FOPLs being considered for E.U.-wide adoption. Nutri-Score is a traffic-light-style FOPL that uses a combination of five coordinated colors and letters to rate how healthy a packaged food item is based on its fat, sugar, salt and calorie content per 100 gram or milliliter serving. The “Green A” indicates the healthiest option, and “Red E” denotes the least healthy. The food rating system has gained wide acceptance in a number of European countries. Still, it has come under intense criticism in Italy, where it is believed that adopting Nutri-Score would hurt traditional producers. There had also been widespread opposition from olive oil producers and their allies in Europe’s three largest producing countries. However, a revision in the algorithm improved olive oil’s score from a “Yellow C” to “Light green B” and has largely assuaged concerns. The European Commission is expected to announce its final decision before March 2023.
The price of groceries in the United States rose by 13.1 percent in the past 12 months, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the largest increase of its kind since 1979. This tangible price increase for all types of food products, ranging from fruit and vegetables (9.3 percent) to dairy (14.9 percent), has altered grocery shopping habits in the U.S. A report from Attest, a research firm, surveyed “2,000 nationally representative working-age Americans” and found average weekly grocery spending had increased by 14.5 percent compared to six months ago. To cope with rising prices, Attest found that six in 10 are buying less premium or luxury food. They also saw a 24.9 percent decline in meat-free or flexitarian diets, with one in two consumers switching to cheaper brands. While Attest did not collect any data about olive oil consumption trends, its findings echo patterns identified in the United States Department of Agriculture’s most recent oilseeds world market report. USDA data indicates that olive oil consumption in the U.S. fell from 395,000 tons the in the 2020/21 marketing year (which runs from August to July) to 381,000 tons by the end of 2021/22. However, not all grades of olive oil fared equally, with importers and U.S. producers reporting no decline in sales of extra virgin olive oil. “[It’s] tough times for sure,” Joseph R. Pro faah chee, the executive director of the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA), a trade group, told Olive Oil Times. “But the situation for olive oil is not so dire.” “The total U.S. retail pourable oil market (olive oil plus corn, canola, soybean, etc.) is down 4.5 percent in volume, but the olive oil category itself is only down 1.7 percent in volume,” he added, citing 52-week data up to August 13. Furthermore, there is no evidence that extra virgin olive oil sales have fallen at all. “In fact, in the extra virgin category for package sizes between 10 and 19 ounces, the specialty sector (priced at over $0.75 per ounce) has been steadily growing over the last five years,” Pro-FAH-chee said. “For the current year to date, volume in the specialty sector is up again relative to the rest of that portion of the extra virgin olive oil category,” he added. While there has been no specific research as to why other premium food sales have fallen while extra virgin olive oil has steadily increased its upward trend, Pro faah chee believes the health benefits and unique flavor profile of extra virgin olive oil have prevented customers from sacrificing it for alternatives. “There really is no acceptable substitute for those who are passionate about cooking with olive oil,” he said. Nick Potter, Costco’s assistant buyer for olive oil and other products, has observed a similar trend at the world’s fifth largest retailer. “For Costco, we’ve been fortunate. Olive Oil sales have been doing well,” he told Olive Oil Times. “Our sales have increased in the past year.” Despite some modest price hikes, Potter said Costco members had not seemed to mind. This may be due to similar price increases for other edible oils, such as canola or sunflower. Along with retailers and importers, producers in the U.S. have also experienced a similar trend of steady or increasing sales, despite inflation. “We have not experienced a downward trend in our sales,” Jeffrey Campbell, the executive vice president of sales at California Olive Ranch, the largest U.S. olive oil producer, told Olive Oil Times. “In fact, we are seeing an acceleration in our units and dollars over the last quarter.” While Campbell confirmed that COR had raised its prices in the past 12 months to “accommodate for inflation,” he added that this had not impacted sales. Conversely, he agreed with Potter that inflation in the canola and sunflower oil sectors made olive oil a more appealing option for some consumers. “The olive oil category at retail is gaining unit share from other cooking oils and fats because there hasn’t been...
The land dedicated to organic olive groves in Spain increased by 16 percent in 2021, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Organic olive groves now cover 256,510 hectares across 16 of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, an area larger than Luxemburg. Cantabria, in the very north of the country, is the only region without organic olive groves. However, organic olive cultivation did not increase uniformly across the country. Between 2020 and 2021, four regions – the Basque Country, Castilla-La Mancha, the Canary Islands and Galicia – experienced a decline in organic olive groves. The most pronounced of these declines came in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain’s second largest olive oil-producing region, which lost 1,762 hectares of organic groves from 2020 to 2021, a 2.4 percent decrease. The Basque Country had a far larger relative decrease (15 percent) but only saw organic grove coverage fall from 25 to 21 hectares. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the largest increase in organic olive groves by area came in Andalusia, the world’s largest olive oil-producing region by a wide margin. Organic olive grove coverage rose by nearly one-third from 88,691 hectares in 2020 to 117,380 hectares in 2021. However, the largest percent increase was seen in Aragón, with organic olive cultivation rising by 79 percent from 4,420 to 7,916 hectares in the same period. Extremadura, Spain’s third-largest olive oil-producing region, experienced a very slight increase in organic olive grove cultivation. Catalonia, another prominent olive-growing region, saw its share of organic olive groves increase by 9 percent, rising from 8,870 to 9,666 hectares. Overall, organic agricultural cultivations in Spain increased by 8 percent and now represent nearly 11 percent of all agricultural land in the country. The number of agricultural operations operating under organic standards rose by 16 percent. The largest gains were seen in the cultivation of animal fodder (39 percent), nuts (35 percent), banana and subtropical fruits (25 percent) and citrus (21 percent).
Adhering to the Mediterranean diet may promote cognitive functions over time, according to a new study. Researchers linked the impact of blood levels of six plasma metabolites to some essential brain activities. They found that the most protective level of such metabolites is associated with the MedDiet. Metabolites are small intermediating molecules produced by the human metabolism. Their levels can change considerably across individuals. According to the Human Metabolome Project, the human body relies on more than 4,000 metabolites. Several global research projects are working on mapping the combinations and impacts of these metabolites. The study, published by the scientific journal of the United States Alzheimer’s Association, built on the identification of six metabolites known to lower cognitive functions and demonstrated that their impacts are generalized across diverse races and ethnicities. The scientists explained that they tested metabolite-cognitive function association in American Hispanic/Latino and European and African American adults. Thousands of individuals whose profiles come from longitudinal studies were used for the research. “We applied Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses to assess causal associations between the metabolites and cognitive function and between the Mediterranean diet and cognitive function,” they wrote. The authors, who belong to several U.S. research institutions, said their findings suggest a potential impact of dietary habits on the level of such metabolites. The amount of metabolites and their effect on brain performance show the relevance of following a healthy diet. “We identified a few metabolites. in the blood the levels of which are correlated with cognitive function, and they are all related to diet,” Tamar Sofer, a biostatistical researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University and researcher on the study, told Medical News Today. “While there are clinical trials showing that diet can influence cognitive function, identifying specific metabolites can help identify specific mechanisms, specific components of diet that are more important than others, and biomarkers to measure [the] success of dietary changes,” she added. Sofer warned that such results must be considered a first glance into those associations. “There is still work to do to make these steps happen, but this is a good start, especially because the results held up in a few different studies, so the findings are very reliable,” she said. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of researchers have studied the health benefits of following and adopting the Mediterranean diet. Its anti-inflammatory properties are attributed to various cognitive and other health benefits. The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are so substantial that the American Society for Nutrition estimated in 2018 that if only 20 percent of the U.S. population chose to adopt it, the country would save more than $20 billion per year.
After a moderate yield of 227,000 tons of olive oil last year, a significant increase in olive oil production is expected in Greece in the 2022/23 crop year. According to some estimates, the amount of olive oil produced nationally will likely be near or even exceed 300,000 tons, five years after the 2017/18 harvest season when the country yielded 346,000 tons. Greece experienced a mild summer, unlike the exceptionally hot and dry weather conditions that prevailed in much of western and southern Europe, causing harvest estimates in major producing countries such as Spain and Italy to be revised downward. Several olive oil-producing regions of Greece, including Ilia in the Peloponnese, Aetolia-Acarnania in the western mainland and Magnesia in central Greece, are expected to rebound from last year’s low to average production and head toward robust harvest. However, the manifestation of olive fruit fly populations in some producing areas, mainly in the Peloponnese and Crete, the two hubs of the Greek olive oil industry, is a cause of concern for local growers and producers. In southern Peloponnese, the regions of Messenia and Laconia are both set for double-figure production increases, according to the local departments of agriculture. The provisional output estimates from the departments place Messenia’s olive oil yield close to 40,000 tons (up by 20 percent) while neighboring Laconia expects around 30,000 tons (an increase of 50 percent). Local producers also anticipate a bumper olive oil crop, far better than the previous mediocre harvest. “We expect our area to yield around 4,500 tons this year, which translates to 90 percent of the area’s production capacity,” Panayiotis Batzakis, the head of the Agioi Apostoloi agricultural association in Laconia, told Olive Oil Times. “Last year, we only managed to reach half of our production capacity.” “We have zero problems with the fruit fly so far, and the ample rains in winter were beneficial for the olive trees,” Batzakis continued. “We mostly cultivate trees of the Athinolia variety, which gives some very aromatic olive oils.” Batzakis added that a significant challenge for local producers is the scarcity of laborers and the high cost of hiring workers who are still available. “Most foreign workers have left for Italy,” he said. “In advance, wages have risen and producers must pay all taxes for each worker they employ. Considering all the other expenses, harvest costs have skyrocketed. The state must intervene to provide a solution.” Batzakis also noted that producers’ prices currently remain at satisfactory levels, with a kilogram of fresh extra virgin olive oil selling for €4.80 to €4.90 in the area. Other producers from the two regions told Olive Oil Times that the fruition of the olive trees is satisfying. However, they added that the olive fruit fly, a significant pest, has made its presence felt in some areas, aided by the lack of significant summer heatwaves (with temperatures above 35 °C), which would prevent the insect from breeding. On Crete, olive growers and producers are banking on a record olive oil harvest of more than 100,000 tons, although anxiety exists regarding the impact of the fruit fly on production. “This season’s yield will be a record-setting one, especially along the coastal zone,” said Yiorgos Motakis, a producer and the head of the Palea Roumata agricultural association near Chania. “Some producers have already started harvesting their olives. However, the lack of field laborers is a huge problem.” Motakis added that fruit fly populations in increased numbers had been recorded in the area, criticizing the actions to contain the pest as ineffective. “The insects are thriving,” he said. “The crop-dusting operations were done using only one type of pesticide, which is unacceptable. Pesticides should be alternated, and operations should have been completed sooner. The problem will be evident during harvest.” The island of Lesbos in the eastern Aegean Sea,...
The best advertisement for Montenegrin olive growing is our tradition.– Fatmir Sadik, Montenegrin olive oil producer Olive growers on the Montenegrin coast and farther inland in Plantaže, near Podgorica, the capital, expect a good harvest. “The crop is solid. The fruits are healthy,” said Fatmir Sadik from Ulcinj, one of the region’s most well-known olive growers. Sadik sells his oil under the Olcinium brand, which loosely translates to “place of oil.” Olcinium is also the historical name for Ulcinj, which has a long olive-growing tradition. “Since the 2nd century, during the Roman Empire, the main economic drivers here have been shipping and olive growing,” Sadik said. “People worked at sea for six months and in the olive groves for the other six.” All of this is evidenced by the olive trees, the oldest of which in Mirovica near Bar is 2,247 years old. Furthermore, 120,000 of the 190,000 olive trees in Ulcinj are between 200 and 2,000 years old.Most of them are in the scenic Valdanos Bay, where Sadik has 700 trees in two groves, mainly of the native Žutica variety. “My oldest is 1,150 years old,” he said. The combination of age and quality has presented Sadik with opportunities to gift his oils to foreign dignitaries, including King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, who visited Montenegro in 2016. In the historic town of Cetinje, local producers prepared an exhibition of traditional Montenegrin food for the royal couple. Among them are two extra virgin olive oils, one made from the olives of the millenary tree in Mirovica and the other from Sadik’s groves in Valdanos Bay. “It was an event to remember,” Sadik said of the then Prince of Wales’s visit to his stand. Although protocol did not call for it, he added that Charles extended his hand and congratulated him after they tasted the oil. Sadik took the opportunity and presented the royal couple with two bottles of olive oil from his oldest tree packed in a box that he made from olive wood. Camilla later declared that she had never tasted better olive oil, which was reported by many international media outlets. The headline appeared on the front page of the most-read Montenegrin news magazine: “Duchess Camilla was delighted by Montenegrin oil.” The exhibitors also received a handwritten thank you note from the royal couple. In the note, Sadik said the couple praised the olive oil they received as a gift. He has also sold his olive oils packaged in handcrafted boxes to a prince of the United Arab Emirates, who owns a local port, and other foreign dignitaries visiting their respective embassies in the capital. “The best advertisement for Montenegrin olive growing is our tradition,” Sadik said. “Another advantage is that, unlike most other olive-growing countries, we did not use chemical protective agents in cultivation.” “We have the conditions for producing top-quality oils, which would achieve high prices with suitable packages,” he added. Sadik respects tradition on his farm but also uses the latest technologies and best practices while harvesting, transforming, storing, packaging and marketing his olive oil. “In the last 10 years, other olive growers have accepted the new, but there are still those who work in the old way,” he said. “They are late with the harvest. They wait for the fruits to fall to the ground by themselves. They ferment so that the oils from such olives have no healthy properties. Producing oils from such olives is the same as making juice from rotten apples.” Sadik plans to start this year’s harvest on October 1, with the help of family and friends. Although, he will also hire seasonal workers for the job. All his olive trees are harvested by hand and with shakers. They start early in the morning and end no later than 1:00 PM. By then, temperatures often exceed 20 ºC, and Sadik’s goal is to avoid oxidation. The harvested olives are collected in nets and placed into crates. They are then transported by vehicle and immediately transformed into ...
The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has confirmed that archaeologists are working in an olive grove near the Bureji refugee camp in Gaza. They are exploring the remains of an ancient Byzantine floor discovered by a local olive grower that dates back to somewhere between the 5th and the 7th century CE. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Salman al-Nabahin noticed that several young olive trees recently planted were not rooting as expected. He dug underneath them with his son and found what experts now believe is the most well-preserved and detailed mosaic ever found in Gaza. The olive farmer explained that the unique nature of the findings was not evident at first. “I searched on the internet,” he told Reuters. “We learned it was a mosaic belonging to the Byzantine era. I see it as a treasure, dearer than a treasure. It isn’t personal; it belongs to every Palestinian.” Once the roots and soil had been removed, the first glimpse of the floor revealed colorful decorations depicting animals and scenes of Byzantine life. Experts still have not determined whether the mosaic was part of a religious or residential area. The Palestinian archaeologists are now working to bring the entire site to light. “The archaeological discovery is still in its early stages, and we await to know more of the secrets and civilization values,” the ministry wrote. René Elter, an archaeologist from the French Archeology School of Jerusalem, which is assisting with the excavation, told the Associated Press that “these are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the graphic representation and the complexity of the geometry.” “Never have mosaic floors of this finesse, this precision in the graphics and richness of the colors been discovered in the Gaza Strip,” he added. So far, Salman al-Nabahin’s find has allowed archaeologists to identify another area that indicates the presence of walls and artifacts, both of which may lead to further discoveries. One of the already excavated holes shows 17 tiles with mosaic iconography, while two others show tiles that might have been damaged or displaced over time by the roots of an old olive tree. The mosaic itself seems to cover an area of approximately 23 square meters. Given the crucial role of the area as a trading hub for many different civilizations over many centuries, such findings confirm the enormous archaeological potential of the Gaza Strip. Asa Eger, an archaeologist of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro who specialized in Byzantine and Islamic archaeology in the Levant, told The Art Newspaper that “it is a spectacular find, especially as our knowledge of archaeology is sadly so spotty given circumstances there. “Gaza was very important during the period of this mosaic and known for its burgeoning wine production exported across the Mediterranean,” he added. Local experts warned that such a unique site must be fully protected. The area is located near the Israeli border, and given the high tensions between the two sides, it is considered at risk of further damage. Last month, a three-day clash led to shelling in the area. The olive farmer covered the visible portions of the floor with tin sheets to preserve the site. According to Elter, “it is imperative to quickly organize an emergency rescue intervention.”
The resilience of Italian olive growers is being put to the test ahead of the 2022 harvest. Farmers face rapidly rising production costs and the consequences of one of the driest years on record. In its recently-published report, the Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (Ismea) warned that production in the 2022/23 crop year could fall well below the 329,000 tons of 2021/22. Ismea attributed the production decrease to many regions entering an ‘off-year’ in the olive tree’s alternate bearing cycle, the effects of which have been exacerbated by the severe drought and intense heat waves. Olive oil production in Puglia and Calabria – the two largest producing regions in the country, which account for more than half of the national yield – is expected to drop significantly. Ismea expects central Italian regions such as Tuscany to recover some of their production potential after recent rainfall. However, the agency added that more precise harvest estimates would not be available for a few more weeks. Regardless of how the harvest goes, farmers and millers face another set of challenges posed by staggering rises in a range of production costs. For example, diesel and nitrogen fertilizer prices have increased by 129 percent and 170 percent, respectively, a recent report found. “The disproportionate increase in energy costs is likely to make production and processing activities for companies in the olive oil sector financially and economically unsustainable,” Cristiano Fini, the president of the Confederation of Italian Farmers, told Olive Oil Times. He added that the rising costs come on top of the immense pressure the sector already faces from extreme weather events, water shortages for irrigation, the continued spread of Xylella fastidiosa and the olive fruit fly infestations. Coldiretti, a farmers’ association, and Unaprol, an olive producers’ association, warned of a 30 percent drop in olive oil production, with at least 9 percent of olive-related companies at risk of closing down due to the excessive costs. Lower yields and rising costs have forced many olive growers to invest fewer resources to maintain their trees, which also is expected to impact future olive production. “We are close to the starting of the 2022/23 crop year, and farmers need to get ready for a complex harvest which could become even more difficult given the uncertainties among olive oil millers,” Fini said. “In the last few weeks, many of them have expressed concern for high energy costs and the crazily high bills companies are receiving nowadays,” he added. “Some have suggested that they might even not open their mills at all.” According to Ismea, Italian farmers have seen their costs rise 24 percent in the first six months of 2022, led by increases of 50 percent in energy and 36 percent in fertilizer. Overall, olive growers have recorded a 19-percent increase in costs in the first half of 2022 compared with 2021. In its report, Ismea said many of those unexpected costs result from global supply chain issues and rising inflation, both of which have been exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Rising costs have spread to all sectors of the olive and olive oil economy, from producers to consumers, many of whom have been burdened by rising energy bills and food prices. The Confederation of Italian Farmers estimates that transforming a quintal (100 kilograms) of olives will cost between €11 and €27 this year, depending on the region and technology. “But we are also reporting high costs for bottling and packaging materials, with costs at least doubled for glass bottles, tin cans, cardboards and plastics,” Fini said. “All of this will inevitably affect olive oil prices for the consumers.” In its report, Ismea noted most olive oil companies also expect extra virgin olive oil sales to decrease as families look to cheaper alternatives to save money. “Inflation is now at 8.4 percent,” Fini said. “This means that families must make hard...
The European Union’s Joint Research Center has published four studies showing that some front-of-pack-labeling (FOPL) systems, such as Nutri-Score, might influence consumers to make healthier decisions when shopping for food. Nutri-Score’s advocates see the publication of these studies, which act as an official update to the scientific position of the European Commission, as an implicit endorsement of the FOPL. The European Commission remains on pace to name a single mandatory FOPL for the E.U. in the next six months, with Nutri-Score firmly in place as the front runner. The JRC studies indicated that FOPLs incentivize the food industry to enhance the nutritional quality of their products to improve the products’ scores. According to the studies, consumers prefer simple, colorful and evaluative FOPLs. In addition, consumers understand less complex labels more easily than more complicated, monochrome and non-evaluative labels. Other findings show how FOPLs more efficiently inform consumers compared to menu labels, shelf labels, point-of-sale signs, QR codes, website hyperlinks and other external tools that offer access to information. The JRC studies also highlighted how deeply consumers are influenced by the country of origin of a product. However, when buying groceries, time pressure or the attractiveness of specific products due to advertising or packaging often distracts consumers from investigating the product’s origin. Consumers also favor products that advertise their low environmental impacts. “The JRC position seems to specifically counter all major criticism that has been raised against Nutri-Score in the last two years,” Cristina Chirico, the director of the Agriculture is Life Association in Italy and head of the international office of the Confederation of Italian Farmers, told Olive Oil Times. Nutri-Score is a traffic-light-style FOPL that uses a combination of five coordinated colors and letters to rate how healthy a packaged food item is based on its fat, sugar, salt and calorie content per 100 gram or milliliter serving. The “Green A” indicates the healthiest option, and “Red E” denotes the least healthy. According to its promoters, Nutri-Score allows consumers to compare food within the same product category. Most grades of olive oil, including extra virgin olive oil, receive a “Light-green B” from Nutri-Score, the second highest rating. Olive oils previously received a “Yellow C,” but heavy lobbying from across the olive oil world resulted in a tweak in the algorithm to consider the type of fat content. Olive oil is approximately 76 percent monounsaturated fat. In a presentation of the study results, the JRC said the new findings would help inform the European Commission’s decision on which FOPL will be selected for mandatory adoption across the E.U. In response to the study, Serge Hercberg, Nutri-Score’s creator, said the FOPL perfectly adhered to all of the JRC’s findings. “Conversely, the Italian Nutrinform Battery FOPL is classified as a monochrome, non-evaluative and complex front-of-pack nutritional labeling (corresponding to labels less well positioned by JRC in terms of usefulness and efficiency),” he added. According to Hercberg, the findings from the JRC studies further refute the allegations made by lobbyist groups and agricultural associations that argue Nutri-Score is overly simplistic and hurts traditional producers. The most intense criticisms of Nutri-Score have come from Italy, where the government, farming associations and academics have rebuked the FOPL. The JRC findings also have been met with widespread criticism. “Italy has been working as a whole to ditch a labeling system which is believed to be misleading consumers,” Chirico said. “That position does not change. So we will press...
Olive oil exports by volume and value have risen in the first eight months of 2022, according to recently-published data from the National Observatory of Agriculture (Onagri). From January to August, olive oil exports increased by one percent in volume compared to the same period last year, up to 145,000 tons. However, the value increased by 33 percent due to a significant rise in olive oil prices per kilogram, from TND 8.09 (€2.66) to TND 10.66 (€3.51). Since the beginning of the 2021/22 crop year, Tunisia has exported TND 1.9 billion (€638 million) worth of olive oil, a 30-percent increase compared to the previous crop year despite the volume of olive oil falling from 194,800 tons in the 2020/21 crop year to 184,000 tons. According to Onagri, Tunisian olive oil exports significantly contribute to the country’s trade balance, acting somewhat as a counterbalance to the 110-percent rise in vegetable oil imports and the increase in imports of other staples, such as sugar and cereals. International Olive Council trade data indicate that Tunisia has exported an average of 218,000 tons of olive oil per year in the last five years, placing the country as one of the world’s largest exporters. Tunisian olive oil production has been gaining relevance for the economy due to significant international trade agreements, most notably with the European Union. Those agreements have allowed the country to sell olive oil to large and affluent global markets with minimal tariffs. A recent study presented by the German Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation emphasized the strategic relevance of trade relations with the E.U. for the country. Seventy-five percent of all Tunisian exports go to the E.U., and 50 percent of the country’s overall imports come from E.U. countries. According to the foundation’s report, the E.U. might play an even more prominent role in sustaining the Tunisian economy. “Yet some Tunisian agricultural products are subject to E.U. trade restrictions, which is why only 56,700 tons of its olive oil can be exported to Europe duty-free,” the report said. For several years now, Tunisian authorities have asked the European Commission to increase the quota of duty-free olive oil exports. According to the report, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has put growing pressure on the country’s economy, and the E.U. should take notice. “There are many agricultural products, such as olive oil, tomatoes and dates, which still have untapped export potential,” said Houssem Eddine Chebbi, an author of the report and professor of agricultural economics at the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales in Tunis. “Tunisia has a number of possibilities for further increasing its product range and export volumes in the European market,” he added, and should “engage in talks with the European bloc and increase export quotas for strategic products such as olive oil.” “This would have a positive impact on the national economy and consequently the country’s stability,” Eddine Chebbi concluded.
Government ministers in Spain praised the role of scientific studies on the health benefits of olive oil as they unveiled the results of the seven-year-long CordioPrev study. Published in May, the CordioPrev study found that following a Mediterranean diet is superior in terms of secondary prevention – interventions that delay the progression of a disease – of cardiovascular disease than following a low-fat diet. While numerous studies have demonstrated the Mediterranean diet to be superior to low-fat diets in terms of primary prevention – delaying the onset of disease – CardioPrev was the first study to compare diet effectiveness in more than 1,000 active heart disease patients. Diana Morant, Spain’s minister of science and innovation, said that because of the study, “we can improve the life expectancies of many people who have already suffered a coronary incident.” The minister added that this type of research, which she described as “science as a common good for society,” requires significant time and investment to bear fruit. As a result, she announced €3.1 million to fund 12 approved projects and five research contracts. Planas said studies like CardioPrev form the foundation of efforts to have future olive oil labels and packaging reflect the product’s nutritional value. In the second half of 2023, Spain will hold the presidency of the European Union, and Planas wants to make food labeling reforms a top priority. “We will work so that olive oil comes out in the place it deserves,” he said. Planas believes that Spain has great potential to assume a leading role in research and investigation regarding healthy eating due to the country’s prominent role as a food producer and exporter. According to the ministry, Spain is the fourth largest agri-food exporter in the E.U. and the seventh largest globally. Despite expectations of a historically low harvest, the country remains the world’s largest producer of olive oil by a wide margin.
In Greece, the term Kalamata olives has been re-registered on the national list of plant varieties as synonymous with the Kalamon cultivar. Once again, producers throughout the country can use the name Kalamata for their Kalamon table olives. Historically, the term Kalamata has been reserved for the use of Kalamon olives produced in Messenia and Laconia on the southern Peloponnese peninsula. A 2018 ministerial decree originally allowed the term to be used more broadly for Kalamon olives across the country. However, the decree was reversed by the country’s supreme court last June after an appeal from Messenian producers alleging misuse of the legally protected term ‘Kalamata.’ “[The supreme court repealed the 2018 decision] as not legally justified due to lack of essential technical judgment of the competent bodies,” the ministry said in a press release. “Minister Georgios Georgantas moved to reissue the decision after the positive recommendation of the competent Technical Committee for Propagation Material.” “The ministry supports the PDO/PGI [Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication] products and all other iconic products of our country,” the release added. “They promote Greece in international markets and contribute decisively to our goal of identifying Greek products with quality, high nutritional value and our cultural heritage.” Producers of Kalamon olives in the country can now market their olives as ‘Kalamata olives,’ similarly to their counterparts in the Messenia region. On the other hand, Messenian producers can use the Protected Designation of Origin label, which the European Union attributed to Kalamon olives of Messenian origin in 1996. However, the chasm between Kalamon producers based in Messenia and their counterparts in the rest of the country remains. “The ministerial decree normalizes the domestic market for olives in a season when a record production is expected in the country,” five table olive associations from around the country said in a joint statement. “Greek olive producers have heavily invested in plant capital, equipment and facilities over the last decades to produce a quality product of which more than 80 percent is exported under the name ‘Kalamata Olives,'” they added. However, producers and local authorities in Messenia have protested the liberalization of the term ‘Kalamata,’ claiming olive growers from abroad could usurp it. “The ministerial decree enables growers of Kalamon olives anywhere on the planet to market their olives in the European Union and where the Union has relevant [trade] agreements under the name Kalamata,” they said in an announcement after meeting to discuss the situation. “The ‘Kalamata’ Designation of Origin is protected by Greek and European legislation,” they added. “It is an intangible asset of the producers and is linked to two other products that carry the name of the city of origin, the Kalamata PDO extra virgin olive oil and the Kalamata PGI ouzo.” According to some estimates, the production of table olives in Greece this year, including the Kalamon/Kalamata and other table olive varieties such as the Chalkidiki and Amfissas, is expected to amount to around 223,000 tons, an increase of 35 percent compared to the previous crop year.
The rain will decide what the olive growing season will be like in Croatia and whether olive oil prices will rise. Rain at least one month before the harvest will save the remaining fruits. However, it is already too late in some locations where olives have fallen from branches due to the long-term drought. “The olives turned black and fell,” said Vito Prtenjača, an olive grower from Polača in northern Dalmatia. “Due to the drought, the pits did not become woody, which is a sign that the accumulation of oil has not even started.” The first impediment to this year’s harvest phase came during flowering and fertilization when extremely high temperatures occurred. There has been no heavy rainfall since February in the vast majority of Croatia’s olive-growing areas, which stretch along the Adriatic Sea from Savudrija in Istria to Prevlaka in the extreme south of Dalmatia. There was even less precipitation on the coastal islands. “The droughts are such that it is a miracle how the olive trees manage to survive,” said Ivo Lučić, an olive grower from Hvar. The island, which boasts 250,000 olive trees, has received 113.3 liters of rain per square meter. Most of this fell mainly in the winter and early spring. Rain was also absent for the Feast of the Assumption, a Christian holiday on August 15. In previous years, the date has usually marked the end of the summer heat and heralded the arrival of autumn. “The drought continues. The fruits are falling off,” complain the olive growers. It is the most difficult for those whose olive groves are on poor, skeletal soils, especially those without irrigation. Lodran Ljubenkov, president of the Cooperative Association of Dalmatia, confirmed that the drought was causing plenty of problems for local growers. “We are receiving reports that the olives have shriveled due to the long-term drought, and where there is not enough soil to retain moisture, they have already started to fall off,” he said. “Where there is soil in the olive groves, those trees will lose their fruit in another two weeks.” As a result, olive growers are looking impatiently at the sky. If it rains in the next few weeks, the fruits will recover. Additionally, there have been no significant reports of diseases or pests, so the oil quality may be above average. Producers also expect olive oil prices to rise, partially due to the dramatic increase in the costs of protective agents, fertilizers, fuel and packaging. In addition, the price of olive milling is also expected to increase. “The price of electricity for processors has increased up to 500 percent in the meantime,” said Željko Vrsaljko, the owner of an oil mill in Nadin. Until now, extra virgin olive oil has been sold in Croatia for HRK 100 (€13.30) to HRK 150 (€19.95) per liter. According to many, the price will go up at least 30 to 50 percent. The award-winning olive grower Ivica Vlatković also thinks olive oil prices will rise but added the exact increase will depend on supply and demand. “On the olive oil market, there are now oils that reach prices of up to HRK 1,000 (€133) per liter,” he said. “As a rule, such oils are of top quality in small bottles of 1,000 milliliters packed in excellent packaging and served to people who appreciate quality oils and are ready to pay for them.” “You also have oils on the market packaged in plastic bottles that cost HRK 80 (€10.65) per liter, and they will find buyers,” Vlatković added. “Accordingly, prices have been variable until now and will be from now on.” It is critical for olive farmers that rain comes as soon as possible. If so, the fruits will recover and fill with oil in a few months, bringing relief to the majority of Croatian olive growers. If this happens, 2022 will have been a solid olive growing season. Olive groves cover about 20,000 hectares in Croatia, yielding approximately 29,000 tons of olives. From these, producers can squeeze about 3.75 million liters of olive oil. This is still not enough to satisfy domestic ...
Olive oil prices are rising in all major markets, a trend that is expected to continue in the coming months. According to the latest data released by the agricultural market observatory of the European Union, Spanish extra virgin olive oil prices have risen by 4 percent in the last month, a 15-percent increase compared to September 2021. Other relevant markets, such as Italy and Greece, have also experienced a 2 percent rise in the last 30 days, with Greek extra virgin olive oil prices rising 12 percent in the previous 12 months. The E.U. agricultural observatory has also reported significant increases in virgin and non-virgin olive oil prices in all major E.U. markets. For example, in Greece, the price of virgin olive oils rose 59 percent in the past year. The increase in virgin and non-virgin olive oil prices had been widely predicted, given the turmoil in the vegetable oils market caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the low expectations for the 2022/23 crop year in the main producing countries. A few weeks ago, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food Luis Planas warned that olive oil yields for the incoming season would be significantly lower than average. He also estimated vegetable oil prices would remain high. Given the effects of the drought and quickly rising production costs in Spain and Italy, the two largest producing countries in the world, extra virgin and virgin olive oil price hikes are seen as bad news for bottlers. On top of climatic and economic problems facing Spain, some of the country’s largest producers warned of a significant reduction in extra virgin olive oil consumption following the end of emergency measures enacted to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a significant increase in household consumption in the past two years. According to E.U. data, European olive oil stocks are estimated to reach 661,000 tons by the end of September, slightly above the average of the last five years. The increase in ending stock is primarily attributed to the abundant yields of the 2021/22 crop year. These ending stocks are expected to sustain E.U. olive oil exports, which reached almost 500,000 tons of extra virgin olive oil and 200,000 tons of virgin olive oil in the current crop year. According to Food Ingredients First, one of the leading exporters of Spanish olive oil, Acesur, expects global olive oil demand to grow amid the sunflower oil shortage. As a result, the company expects olive oil prices to rise by 20 or 25 percent in the next few months. Kyle Holland, an analyst at Mintec, told The Wall Street Journal that production decreases in Spain could lead to olive oil prices rising to €4.30 per kilogram. Olive oil prices are also expected to increase outside of Europe’s major producing countries. Lordan Ljubenkov, the president of the Cooperative Association of Dalmatia, told local media that prices in Croatia are likely to rise by 20 to 30 percent in the coming month. “Croatian olive producers will not see their actual work become more expensive, but the packaging will cost more, as will fuel, transport and the means of protecting the olives themselves,” he said. “Everything about olive oil and the efforts put into the process by Croatian olive growers will become more expensive, and at the same time, the final product, extra virgin olive oil, will also cost more,” Ljubenkov added. Outside of the European Union, officials in Tunisia and Morocco told local media that they are expecting to see their olive oil prices rise. In addition, producers in Chile and California have told Olive Oil Times they also have increased their prices to cope with inflation.
Prayers for rain from olive growers across the Iberian peninsula have been left unanswered, and a recent report from the European Commission warned that hot and dry weather will pervade the region until November. Composed of Spain and Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula has been responsible for about 46 percent of global olive oil production over the past half-decade. However, both countries have grim forecasts, with Spain expecting its lowest yield since the 2014/15 crop year – roughly 1 million tons. Portugal also expects a significant decline in production compared to previous years, with about 100,000 tons of olive oil forecast for the 2022/23 crop year. Farmers in both countries have blamed the extremely hot and dry summer for the production decreases. The lack of rain has forced trees to conserve water, leading to the desiccation of olives or the trees not bearing any fruit. According to the European Commission report, most of Portugal and parts of Spain received 50 percent less precipitation in July and the first half of August compared with the 1991 to 2021 long-term average. This compounds the extremely dry winter and spring faced by both countries, with Portugal recording the second lowest amount of rainfall in a hydrological year since 1931 and parts of Spain experiencing the driest conditions in more than 1,000 years. Long-term forecasts are no better on the Iberian Peninsula, with the European Commission predicting that higher temperatures and dry conditions persisting through November. The lack of rainfall has forced farmers in Spain to rely solely on irrigation to water their crops. However, water levels in reservoirs explicitly used for this purpose are nearly 40 percent below design capacity, a level characterized as “exceptionally low” by the European Commission. Furthermore, water levels in Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura – the three largest olive oil-producing regions in Spain, respectively – sit at less than 30 percent capacity. The situation is similarly severe in Portugal, where Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro said 10 of the country’s 61 dams are in a critical situation, with stored water volume below 20 percent of capacity. While officials are studying water restrictions for agriculture and the general public in both countries, seawater desalinization is being discussed as a long-term solution to the peninsula’s water woes. In this department, Spain has a head start with 700 desalinization units in the country, and the government pledging €300 million to expand capacity. Portugal only has one active plant and is investing €45 million to build another, potentially reaching 16 million cubic meters of potable water production in the coming years. However, some engineers are skeptical that expanding desalination plants is a long-term solution. Desalination is an expensive and energy-intensive process. “An investment of this magnitude is not justified,” Sara Correi, an environmental campaigner, told local media. Environmental campaigners in Spain have suggested that the south of the country may have to become less reliant on irrigated agriculture, which consumes 85 percent of all water resources. “Unless we change the balance, we cannot improve the state of our rivers or adapt to climate change,” Julia Martinez, the executive director of scientific-technical activities at the New Water Culture Foundation, told the BBC.
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Producers from central Italy were undisputed protagonists at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Once again, they earned many awards as a result of their care for the land and focus on the sustainable use of resources. Olive growers with a long story of successes were joined by first-time winners, all of whom are aware of the crucial role farmers play as protectors of the environment. “We are thrilled to have won this prestigious award,” said Laurence Deprez Zenezini, of Cultura Viva, after receiving a Gold Award for her Le Clarisse blend. “Our reference market is the United States, and this pushed us to participate in the NYIOOC, which is an important showcase for the international market,” she added. After living in many countries around the world, she settled in Umbria with her family. “Last year, in June, we attended a course for olive oil tasters, and in October, we carried out our very first harvest,” she said. Located in Collazzone, in the province of Perugia, her property includes a small hamlet with the former monastery of the Poor Clares, from which the name of the oil comes and a farmhouse surrounded by 40 olive trees. Another 600 plants of Moraiolo, Leccino and Frantoio, are spread over the hill below. “The first project was to recover this place,” Deprez Zenezini said. “Then we started pruning the trees doing consistent reform work. Last year, also due to weather issues, we harvested 25 percent of the capacity of the grove.” They recently added a new plot with 120 trees of the Don Carlo variety, planted in a traditional pattern to preserve the original landscape shape. Protection of the land and its biodiversity underlies the vision of Cultura Viva, which means living culture. “We want to make culture,” Deprez Zenezini said. “With the olive leaves from harvest and pruning, we also produce a unique kombucha. In doing this, my husband Stefano and I are supported by our two children, who help us with the communication of the products.” “Our daughter created the packaging of Le Clarisse through which we want to express purity, harmony, and simplicity,” she added. Following the principles of regenerative agriculture, the family company has adopted a circular economy approach, where nothing goes to waste and everything is reused, including rainwater. “Drought is now the main problem,” Deprez Zenezini said. “Considering the rising production costs, we are aware that we have started at a complex time. Yet we are very confident in the future and, also building on these successes, we are looking forward to the upcoming harvest.” Along with first-time recipients, longtime NYIOOC winners from central Italy celebrated success at the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. Among these were the producers from Domenica Fiore, also in Umbria, who earned three Gold Awards for their Olio Novello, Novello di Notte and Olio Reserva brands. “Once again, this year, we have managed to create high-profile products,” Cesare Bianchini told Olive Oil Times. “We are very happy with this result that makes us very proud.” A master miller and blender, Bianchini follows the whole production process of the multi-awarded blends. “We collect the different varieties – Leccino, Frantoio, Moraiolo, and Canino – separately,” he said. “We carefully combine them later to create balanced and complex sensory profiles that we could not obtain by randomly mixing the varieties.” The olive trees thrive optimally at 400 meters above sea level in rich, sandy soil – millions of years ago, probably in the Plio-Pleistocene era, the land that hosts these orchards was a seabed, and it is still possible to find ancient shells in the ground. After harvesting, the fruits are crushed in the company mill, which is equipped with the latest technology. After the extraction, the by-products are used as natural compost. “We spread the wet residue as a fertilizer for our g...
The 2022 olive harvest in Italy will begin in the next few weeks but will be shrouded by uncertainty, with producers facing reduced yields and rising production costs. Rising costs for raw materials, fertilizer, glass, paper and logistics are putting the sector’s resilience to the test, while skyrocketing energy and electricity prices are affecting the whole production chain. On top of this, the first estimates for the next season show a 20 to 30 percent drop in overall olive oil yield in the country. Given the turmoil in the European energy market caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the electricity prices have exceeded €400 per megawatt hour in all significant markets. Italy is facing prices of €450 per megawatt hour. By comparison, the average price of the previous decades was between €20 to €30 per megawatt hour. While growers have to face the consequences of the worst drought in decades, millers will also have to cope with these unheard-of energy prices, which are expected to reach new record highs in the coming weeks when the harvest season starts, and electricity consumption reaches its maximum. “At the moment, we are seeing costs rising between 200 and 250 percent,” Elia Pellegrino, president of the Italian olive oil millers association (AIFO), told Olive Oil Times. “Of course, that can have significant consequences for the sector, even more considering the estimates of the low yield for very important regions such as Puglia.” Puglia, located in southeastern Italy, is by far the most relevant olive-producing region in the country, accounting for 40 to 50 percent of the overall national production. As a result of rising production costs, some millers expect extra virgin olive oil prices to increase significantly for consumers. “I do not think we can avoid raising the final price of the product,” Silvano Pasquinoni, a large miller in the northern Emilia-Romagna region, told Il Resto del Carlino. “There is not only the costs of energy to be considered but also the reduced production in many regions.” “And all the other expenses to consider, such as packaging or glass,” he added. “Everything now costs twice what it used to cost.” In response to rising costs, producer associations, including Assitol and Italia Olivicola, have asked the government to enact extraordinary measures to limit energy costs. “Our industry, which has always been characterized by low-profit margins, has been working for a long time to lower fixed costs,” said Anna Cane, president of the olive oil group of Assitol. “But now companies cannot stop this wave of rising costs. It is almost impossible to leave the final price of the product on the market exempt from such increases in energy and raw materials.” Assitol added that authorities would need to work closely with large food retailers – who are responsible for 70 percent of olive oil sales in Italy – to keep olive oil prices within reach of regular consumers. The high variability of extra virgin olive oil prices on the shelf has significantly impacted the whole sector. The largest retailers saw their overall sales boosted by consumers’ interest in their low-priced olive oil offers. Such offers traditionally target extra virgin olive oil because of the special place it holds in the shopping cart of the Italian family. Therefore, higher extra virgin olive oil prices might not translate into larger payments for producers and millers. “Should extra virgin olive oil be sold at €6.00 or €6.50 per liter, that could probably help producers a bit,” Pellegrino said. “Still, experience tells us that when bulk olive oil prices rise significantly, most of that product risks not being sold. A higher price could greatly affect sales.” He added that the rising cost of living in Italy likely meant consumers could not pay higher prices for olive oil. As a result of the harvest outlook and Italy’s current macroeconomic situation, millers are likely to bear most of the financial burden. “They will have to buy ...
The Zadar County Olive Growers Association continues to educate its members and other interested olive growers. After a short summer break, the group organized a workshop on the island of Ugljan in the 400-year-old olive grove of the Marcelić family. “This is a typical extensive olive grove with autochthonous varieties: Oblica and Drobnica predominate,” said 29-year-old Šime Marcelić, a doctor of agronomy and owner of the family grove. The young scientist and lover of olive growing said his ancestors worked for the landowners, saving to eventually buy back the land they cultivated after the second agrarian reform. Ugljan is one of the many Croatian islands in the middle of the Adriatic Sea in Dalmatia, where olives have been cultivated for time immemorial. Maslinik is located on the southern side of the island, 100 meters above the sea. “As you can see, there are stones and poor soil. The conditions are limited, so it is very difficult to work,” Marcelić said. Drought is a perennial problem, which is why the olive grove was abandoned and rebuilt several times. Eventually, Marcelić’s late father, Ignacije, began to restore the trees systematically after the Croatian War of Independence, which ended in 1995. Marcelić continues the work of his father. Saplings grew from the centuries-old root and developed into trees that regularly bear fruit despite the impacts of climate change and other unfavorable conditions. Marcelić attributed the successful revival of the trees to appropriate agrotechnical measures, starting with pruning, fertilization and protection against diseases and pests, which he regularly implements. Unlike most olive growers, Marcelić prunes the trees four times a year. The first is in January when the olive tree is in winter dormancy. Thick branches are removed with a saw. The second pruning is in March. The olive-bearing branches are thinned to ensure optimal yield in the current crop and quality growth for the next crop. The third pruning comes during the summer. Weeds that grow out of the stump are removed. The fourth is during the harvest when the ringed branches are removed. On the island, where the soil is shallow and skeletal, emphasis should be placed on autumn fertilization, Marcelić noted. In contrast to the conditions on the coast, where the soils are deep and have a good capacity for water and where the occurrence of late spring frosts is frequent and expected, spring fertilization should be emphasized. In his olive grove, Marcelić applies fertilizer between the first summer and the next heavy rain, mostly at the beginning of September. He uses mainly organic pelleted fertilizers in combination with mineral fertilizers that have more phosphorus and potassium with the addition of microelements. Marcelić also warned about the danger of infection with peacock’s eye, which is the most urgent part of work in olive groves, both on the islands and the coast. During the autumn, after the first rains, temperatures are relatively high. Wet leaves provide the optimal condition for the development of fungal diseases, especially primary infections with peacock eye. For this reason, Marcelić recommends that protection is carried out before harvesting, especially on susceptible varieties such as Oblica. Applying protection after the harvest, which many olive growers do, is too late because fungal diseases have already infected the leaf. In the spring, the leaf will fall, and nothing more can be done. The olive tree will not have enough leaf surface to develop the fruit. Instead, the tree expends its energy renewing the leaf mass resulting in less fruition. Marcelić also explained how he overcame the drought by restoring old olive trees. “The restoration of centuries-old trees is actually the first line of coexistence with the drought,” he said. “[It is] the measure by which we reduce the damage of the negative effects of the drought.” A young tree with an extensive root system better tolerates the lack of moistur...
Xylella fastidiosa is unlikely to be entirely eradicated in France after delays and missteps by local authorities, according to a newly-published report from the European Commission. The bacterium, particular subspecies of which cause the deadly Olive Quick Decline Syndrome, was first discovered in French territory on the Mediterranean island of Corsica in July 2015. Separate outbreaks were later detected in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in October 2015 and Occitanie in September 2020. In the three regions, which are also the most productive olive-growing areas of the country, the auditors identified two subspecies of Xylella fastidiosa – multiplex and pauca – that infect olive trees. However, olive trees infected by Xylella fastidiosa were only identified in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and destroyed following European eradication protocols. These stipulate that any of the 300 identified host species within a 50-meter radius of the infected plant – known as an infection zone – are destroyed. A larger buffer zone with a 2.5 to 5-kilometer radius (based on the extent of infections in the infected zones and the ability of the bacterium to spread) is then set up, and all susceptible plant species must be tested. Combined, these are known as a demarcated area. European Commission auditors found that French authorities did not consider all the relevant factors of how Xylella fastidiosa is spread by human and natural causes. As a result, the authorities’ surveys may have allowed the disease to spread outside of the buffer zone undetected. The auditors also found that a lack of detailed provisions meant no immediate plan was in place to destroy infected plants. This resulted in significant delays that created a risk for the further spread of the disease. However, the auditors acknowledged that French authorities set up demarcated areas in a timely manner on the mainland, which prevented Xylella fastidiosa from spreading as it has in Corsica. The entire island is now considered an infected zone, but not by the subspecies that infects olive trees. In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, where two infected olive trees were identified, the auditors said authorities successfully established the demarcated area in time, preventing the spread of the disease from the two ornamental olive trees to others in the zone. While French authorities quickly set up demarcated areas and conducted thorough testing to identify infected plants, the auditors found that eradication of these plants and others in the infected zones was delayed by up to five months. These delays were attributed to a prolonged tendering period, in which contracts are awarded to private companies to eradicate infected plants, movement restrictions put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic and the right of property owners to appeal test results. The auditors said delays in removing infected plants and the lack of a coordinated effort to identify and control insect vector populations “raised serious doubts” that Xylella fastidiosa could be eradicated in mainland France. On Corsica, the auditors said authorities failed to comply with European regulations restricting the movement of infected plants. While they acknowledged adequate controls at ports, they said no controls were placed on boats leaving with susceptible plant species to Spain or Italy. On the mainland, the auditors said authorities did not set up adequate infrastructure to check plant movements on roads or ports, meaning potentially infected plants may have been transported to other parts of France, Spain and Italy. However, the auditors said that local and national authorities had done well to inform the public about the threat of Xylella fastidiosa, which may have helped prevent the spread to further agricultural areas. The auditors concluded the report with six recommendations for authorities to take to remedy the issues they identified.
Earlier this year, olive growers in New Zealand were optimistic ahead of the harvest. However, some have had their hopes dashed, with more than a quarter of small-scale growers having no harvest at all. According to figures released by Olives New Zealand, 180,000 liters of extra virgin olive oil were produced this year, compared to 200,000 liters in the 2019/20 crop year and 270,000 liters in 2020/21. “Overall, our harvest was 17 percent down from 2021,” Gayle Sheridan, Olives New Zealand’s executive officer, told Olive Oil Times. “Our commercial growers were pleased with their 2022 harvest. However, our boutique growers had various ongoing challenges with disease management and weather issues.” “Some 26 percent of these groves had no harvest,” she added. “It is apparent that well-managed groves are more resilient to weather issues and proactively manage disease, which pretty much eliminates biennial bearing.” Earlier this year, Sheridan said that local growers were investigating farming methods – besides early harvesting, which improves the polyphenol count – to enhance the healthy properties of their oils. “This is ongoing and will be the subject of future research,” Sheridan said after the recent harvest. “At this point, the only effective measure has been early harvesting.” Sheridan added that the quality of the olives and oils has been excellent this year. “Judging for the New Zealand Extra Virgin Olive Oil Awards is underway, and there is looking to be a good spread of Gold and Silver, especially,” she said. “But perhaps not as many Gold oils as in 2021.” Andrew Liley, co-owner of Juno Olives in the Wairarapa region, east of Wellington, described his harvest as poor. “It was expected to be down on last year’s harvest, but we had a poor fruit set and ended up not harvesting our Frantoio or Moraiolo at all,” he told Olive Oil Times. Heavy rains contributed to Juno Olives’ woes. “It was wet all across our harvest, making access problematic,” he said. “It also influenced when we could harvest this year, leading to us harvesting our Leccino three weeks earlier than we have harvested it before.” Another producer from the Wairarapa region, Ross Vintiner, co-owner of Dali Estate, told Olive Oil Times that 2022 was their worst harvest in 10 years. “Dali Estate has seen increasing production over the past five years,” he said. “Our 2021 harvest was a record and in the top percentile for production and yield across New Zealand, with the top polyphenols for the country. Dali won top national and international honors with these oils.” “Our harvest was a bitter-sweet and short event, with fine weather, low fruit volume and oil yields,” Vintiner said. “Even our normally high polyphenols were mainly at average levels.” “With the promise of spring inflorescence, southern Wairarapa suffered two weeks of constant rain, cool conditions and little wind to dry flowers,” he added. “Frantoio and Picual suffered most at the fruit set. Leccino, Koroneiki and Kalamata fared only slightly better.” “Despite this setback this year,” Vintiner continued, “we are confident that our biodynamic and organic growing regime will increasingly make our soil, biome and trees more resilient, productive and enduring.” Contrary to Liley and Vintiner, another producer from the Wairarapa region, Margaret Hanson, the co-owner of Blue Earth Olive Oil, said she was delighted with the harvest. “Although the oil yield was down, the volume of fruit was up, and the quality was great,” she said. “This year’s harvest was our biggest ever, having grown olives for over 20 years,” Hanson added. “More aggressive management of the grove is paying dividends.” “Our challenge this year was juggling filming, harvesters, weather and Covid,” she continued. “We had the final shoot for a national television program, so it all needed to be teed up tightly. The weather cooperated for some days, but not all.” “We complicated it by getting Covid partway through,” she added, “so the rest o...
In an effort to move away from fossil fuels, the European Union has been subsidizing the burning of wood for energy production for more than a decade. As a result, wood in all its forms, such as tree logs, forest residues, crop waste and wood pellets, has become the most common source of energy in Europe. However, large swathes of European forests are starting to disappear to satisfy the growing demand for wood across the continent. The energy crisis spurred by the war in Ukraine has further exacerbated the problem of clear-cutting European woodlands. In Finland and Estonia, forests, once considered critical points in the battle to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, are now regarded as carbon emitters due to extensive logging. “People buy wood pellets thinking they’re the sustainable choice, but in reality, they’re driving the destruction of Europe’s last wild forests,” said David Gehl of the Environmental Investigation Agency, a Washington-based advocacy group. In Romania, the New York Times tracked a load of trees harvested from an ecologically significant woodland to a wood-processing plant that grinds the trees into sawdust to form pellets. According to the American newspaper, the plant received hundreds of shipments of trees from protected forests in the past year alone. The hunger for wood in Europe has also crossed the Atlantic Ocean, fueling a booming industry with devastating effects on the woodlands of the rural southeastern United States. Additionally, a study conducted by the E.U. last year found that burning wood for energy causes more pollution than receiving the same amount of energy from fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the energy produced from wood is dubbed carbon-neutral in Europe, and the Member States can freely use it to achieve their clean-energy targets in the context of the Paris Climate Agreement. The European Parliament voted to end public subsidies for ‘primary woody biomass,’ aiming to taper off cutting down trees for energy production. Using forest residues and wood waste as an energy source, on the other hand, will remain eligible for subsidies. “For the first time, an E.U. institution has recognized that burning trees might not be the best way of getting off fossil fuels and stopping runaway climate change,” said Alex Mason, head of E.U. climate and energy policy at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The parliamentary bill has to be negotiated with the Council of the European Union and the European Commission before becoming law. However, several European countries, especially in central and northern Europe, oppose the initiative to phase down wood-burning as an energy source, particularly while uncertainty exists over the delivery of oil and gas shipments from Russia to Europe. “We need more domestic renewable energy and self-sufficiency, not less,” Antti Kurvinen, the Finnish minister for agriculture and forestry, said. “I will fully promote forest energy.”
Moroccan olive oil exports by volume have doubled in the first eight months of 2022 compared to the previous year. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture, the overall value of exports also grew 47 percent, reaching MAD 456 million (€42.3 million). The ministry said export volumes had been positively affected by rising international demand for olive oil. In the first eight months of the year, Moroccan companies exported 13,200 tons of olive oil. The International Olive Council (IOC) estimates that Morocco will export 28,000 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, which runs from October to September. The ministry noted how European Union countries had been the primary purchasers of Moroccan olive oil, with sales rising by 220 percent in volumes and 260 percent in value. The ministry added that olive pomace oil exports also have grown by 140 percent in the first eight months of the current year, with trade value exceeding MAD 212 million (€19.7 million). Olive oil and pomace oil exports to European Union countries grew steadily from 2016 to 2019, rising from 17,256 tons to 37,158. However, volumes dropped to 11,180 tons in the 2019/20 crop year. Of those, extra virgin olive oil accounted for 6,017 tons. According to the ministry, Morocco produced 1.96 million tons of olives in the 2021/22 crop year, an increase of 21 percent compared with the previous one. Rising production figures are the fruit of the long-term plan for olive growing expansion in the country, which is quickly becoming one of the most relevant olive oil producers outside of Europe. Domestic olive oil consumption has also increased considerably recently, rising from 100,000 tons in 2010/11 to 150,000 tons expected in the current season. After producing 200,000 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, the current campaign is unlikely to yield the same results. Moroccan olive farms have borne the consequences of the severe drought and heat waves, with the two most prominent olive-producing regions expecting steep production drops in 2022/23.
Without any doubt, we are going through the best marketing campaign ever generated in the olive sector.– Cristóbal Cano, secretary-general, UPA Andalusia Despite challenges looming on the horizon, olive oil sales in Spain remain robust, with growing margins for the whole production chain. According to the data released by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, olive oil millers sold 95,400 tons of olive oil in the period, with overall figures for the campaign rising from 1,343,015 million tons in July to 1,438,415 million tons in August. The Agency for Information and Food Control (AICA) reported that total olive oil sales for August in the country reached 116,000 tons, a 28-percent increase compared to the same period of the past year. Cristóbal Cano, secretary-general of the Union of Small Farmers (UPA) Andalusia, told Agroinformación that sales numbers “make us optimistic, as we can hope to end the campaign with at least 1.6 million tons sold.” Farmers estimate that they will have a record year in terms of sales. “Without any doubt, we are going through the best marketing campaign ever generated in the olive sector as for economic volumes, which is also due to reasonable prices that do not stop rising,” Cano said “The Ministry of Agriculture projects prices at source being 15 percent higher than those reported one year ago,” he added. According to the Information System of Olive Markets (SIMO), olive oil stocks exceeded 580,000 tons at the end of August, the vast majority of which were owned by millers and bottlers. “If September stays on the same path in terms of numbers, with these data, we can expect to end up with 400,000 tons [in storage],” said Luis Carlos Valero, spokesman of the Association of Young Farmers and Ranchers in Jaén. “We will be very attentive to the data of the incoming month.” Experts noted that rising prices are benefiting the entire production chain, including traditional growers. According to Poolred, prices are skyrocketing. For example, extra virgin olive oil prices rose from €3.82 per liter reported on August 15 to €3.99 on September 15. Yet, the extreme drought in Spain is expected to bring a near-record-low harvest this season, with some estimates that production will fall below 1 million tons for the first time in nearly a decade. “The structural drought we are facing makes us fear for the future,” Cano told Extra Jaén. “Should September confirm this tendency of reduced rainfall, we will have a bad season, as many areas of Andalusia are already without olives, and in those areas where irrigation works, the fruit does not follow the desirable development.”
Surface temperatures in Africa rose more than the global average in 2021, making last year one of the hottest on record for the continent. According to the State of the Climate in Africa 2021 report, published by the World Meteorological Organization, rising temperatures contributed to heatwaves, wildfires, extensive floods and lakes evaporating, all posing severe consequences for people, biodiversity and agriculture in several countries. The impact of climate change on agriculture is formidable in Africa. Since 1961, steadily rising temperatures have reduced the development of African agricultural productivity by 34 percent. According to the report, the trend is likely to continue with severe consequences for food security. In a scenario where global temperatures increase 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, experts believe that West Africa would lose at least 9 percent of its maize yield, with wheat yields destined to decline between 20 to 60 percent in southern and northern Africa. Researchers also noted that North Africa, the continent’s largest olive-growing region, is experiencing a more significant and rapid temperature rise. Temperatures in North Africa grew twice as quickly from 1991 to 2001 as they did from 1961 to 1990, and almost twice the global rate for the same period. In Tunisia, traditionally the largest olive-producing country outside of Europe, the summer of 2021 was the hottest since 1950, with temperatures exceeding the 1981 to 2010 average by 2.65 °C. Two heatwaves enveloped the country, with peaks of 49.9 °C in Tozeur and 50.3 ºC in Kairouan, one of Tunisia’s most relevant olive-growing regions. In northern Africa, precipitation patterns were also highly anomalous in 2021. Above-average precipitation reported in northeastern Egypt was accompanied by below-average rainfall in Morocco, Tunisia and northwestern Libya. Stoked on by the dry weather, wildfires raged across Algeria and Tunisia, where thousands of hectares of fruit trees were lost, and thousands of farm animals died. The WMO confirmed that the frequency of extreme heat events on the continent is increasing, with the hottest days on records all happening in the past few years. Food security has been jeopardized in many areas. People in several regions have been forced to leave their homes due to extreme weather events, such as the floods in South Sudan, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Besides North Africa, severe droughts have been reported in the Sahel, East Africa and Madagascar. Additionally, rising sea levels in 2021 impacted low-lying coastal cities and increased the salinity of coastal farming zones, accelerating erosion and worsening coastal flooding. According to the report, 108 to 116 million people will be at risk of rising sea levels by 2030. Scientists and climate experts that authored the report emphasized how the constant increase in water consumption will add pressure to water demand and water resources that are already scarce. The situation is exacerbated by droughts and heat waves, which are predicted to become longer and more severe over time. “Disruptions in water availability will impede access to safe water. In addition, limited water availability and water scarcity are expected to trigger conflicts among people who are already contending with economic challenges,” the report reads. WMO data show that 418 million people do not have access to a “basic level of drinking water,” with 779 million not having access to “basic sanitation services.” According to the report, mountain glaciers on the continent continue to recede. In a few cases, such as Mount Kilimanjaro, 85 percent of the ice cover has been lost in the last century. Several significant glaciers are set to disappear in a matter of years. River discharge is progressively reducing in most countries. The new report, compiled in association with the African Union Commission and several international agencies, is the third of a series and focuses on wate...
In 2001, Alfonso Swett, the Chilean businessman and entrepreneur, was driving through sprawling olive farms in Spain when he had an epiphany. “He started to realize that in Chile, the conditions are similar, specifically in the middle of the country,” Claudio Lovazzano, the marketing manager of Olivos del Sur, told Olive Oil Times. At the time, olive growing in the country was parochial in the very literal sense of the word. While olive trees had been brought to Chile by the missionaries who followed the conquistadores in the 1500s, their cultivation had not expanded far beyond the devoutly Catholic country’s monasteries and parishes. However, the turn of the 21st century was also a moment when wineries were expanding into the fertile hills of the country’s central valley. Vintners saw the potential of the terroir and Mediterranean climate. Swett – who has led five companies, advised the government on foreign policy and teaches at the prestigious Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – sensed the moment was ripe to begin planting olive trees to produce olive oil. By 2004, he planted his first olive trees in high density. In 2007, Olivos del Sur harvested for the first time. “The idea was to be very focussed on high quality but always thinking about how to do so in volume,” Lovazzano said. “At that time, he was a pioneer of planting trees in high volume.” Swett, who made millions finding ways for companies to operate more efficiently, believed the traditional harvesting of Spain was an inefficient use of capital and human resources and a detriment to quality. To make sure he was getting his mechanically-harvested olives transformed into oil as quickly as possible, he built a mill in the center of his first grove. “One of our main secrets for producing high-quality olive oil is we can harvest and get the olives to the mill very quickly, in just two hours,” Lovazzano said. “It was a state-of-the-art concept at the time.” When Swett began planting olive trees, Chile had about 6,000 hectares of commercial olive groves. Now, there are 28,000 hectares of olive groves planted in Chile, of which 2,500 belong to Olivos del Sur. With an annual production of roughly 4 million liters, Swett’s company is the largest olive oil producer in Chile. Swett, who was educated in the United States and sits on the board of a Peruvian company, has always had an international mindset. He saw the potential for extra virgin olive oil in the Brazilian and North American markets. Now, 50 percent of Olivo del Sur’s annual production is exported. Of that, Lovazzano said 50 percent is destined for Brazil, where the brand has proven to be immensely popular. Olivos del Sur also exports to Canada, Mexico and the United States. The lucrative East Asian market is also in its sights, with some sales already taking place in Japan and planning underway to expand further. As a result of its expansion into the North American market, Olivos del Sur decided to enter the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. Lovazzano said the awards, along with its competitive prices, help the company convince distributors to carry their brand. “When you go to pitch to a distributor, and you say, here’s my brand, and these are the awards that we are winning, they say fantastic,” he said. Since first entering its O-Live & Co brand in 2020, Olivos del Sur has won a Gold and two Silver Awards at the NYIOOC. Lovazzano contends that Chile – with an average annual production of 20,000 tons – is an ideal place to grow olive trees. “We don’t have many pests like the olive fruit fly. We don’t have Xylella fastidiosa,” he said. Despite the country’s ongoing drought, Lovazzano believes that olive growers can continue to thrive, but only if they adapt modern agricultural techniques. “We started using precision agriculture in 2018 when we realized that the drought was becoming a huge problem,” he said. “We needed to find an alternative way to man...
For the first time in nearly a decade, Spanish olive oil production could fall below one million tons. According to the farming cooperatives of Andalusia, the country’s most significant olive oil-producing region, farmers and producers in Spain may yield just 918,000 tons of olive oil in the 2022/23 crop year. Last year, Spain produced about 1.3 million tons, according to the International Olive Council, slightly below the rolling five-year average of 1.37 million tons. Farmers, producers and officials have blamed prolonged summer heatwaves and the unprecedented drought for the significant production slump. In May, record high temperatures during the critical olive flowering period were the first significant setback for producers, reducing yields as blossoms desiccated on the trees. Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias, Spain’s leading agricultural cooperative, said skyrocketing energy costs – which have risen 443 percent in the last two years – have been another blow for farmers and millers. These costs are expected to hit new highs during the harvest season when the entire industry reaches its peak energy consumption. The cooperative added that such costs would represent an even heavier burden for the industry as the numbers of olives set to be harvested continue to fall, impacting growers’ incomes. They also warned that the forecast of 918,000 tons strictly depends on the weather in the next few weeks. The absence of enough rainfall to replenish irrigation infrastructure could cause production to fall further. An official estimate on the coming harvest in Andalusia is expected soon from the regional government. Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias estimated that the autonomous community would produce a maximum of 700,000 tons of olive oil. Last year, Andalusia produced 1.15 million tons of olive oil. According to Cristóbal Gallego Martínez, president of the Olive Oil Sectoral Council of Agro-food Cooperatives of Andalusia, “this drought is subtracting olive production each day that passes.” Gallego confirmed that rainfed groves are practically at “zero, with no load of olives.” He added that irrigated groves, which constitute more than 33 percent of all Spanish groves, will not yield large productions as water availability for irrigation is currently restricted. “Most of the olive trees have little water, the olive fruits are wrinkled, and some are even starting to blacken when their natural color now would be green, as this is the time when olive undergoes lipogenesis, the process during which the olive begins to transform sugars into oil,” he said. “We are approaching the beginning of autumn, and there is little prospect of short-term rain, which makes us very pessimistic,” he continued, adding that the new campaign could become “the carbon copy of the 2014/2015 season,” the second worst on record. However, some relief may be on the horizon. José Miguel Vinas, a meteorologist at Meteored, said rain might come in several regions of the country as Hurricane Danielle approaches Europe’s Atlantic coast. Despite the potential for rain, officials expect current levels of production losses to lead to €1.7 billion of losses for the sector. “Considering that 67 percent of the production sector is represented by the Andalusian agri-food cooperatives, the losses in these social economy companies would amount to €1.14 billion,” the cooperative said. Along with the anticipated drop in table olive production, Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias said special measures are needed to support farmers. They called on authorities to cut taxes on fuel, electricity, fertilizers and phytosanitary projects. The cooperative also emphasized the increasingly urgent need to upgrade irrigation technology and develop a water strategy.
New research indicates that the world is on the brink of five “disastrous” climate tipping points as global temperatures have exceeded the pre-industrial average by 1.1 ºC. “Climate tipping points are conditions beyond which changes in a part of the climate system become self-perpetuating,” the researchers wrote in the study published in Science, which assessed more than 200 previous studies. “These changes may lead to abrupt, irreversible and dangerous impacts with serious implications for humanity,” they added. Among the five tipping points passed as global temperatures reached the 1.1 ºC mark are ice sheet collapses in Greenland and West Antarctica, changes in a significant north Atlantic ocean current, biodiversity loss in tropical coral reefs and abrupt permafrost loss. The researchers said these events would have profound impacts on the climate. Loss of ice mass at the poles is expected to result in significant sea level rise, while changes to the Labrador current will profoundly alter Europe’s climate. The thawing of permafrost is also expected to release tons of carbon into the atmosphere. As temperatures reach the 1.5 ºC threshold, the minimum rise now expected, researchers indicated that four of those five tipping points would move from “possible” to “likely,” while five new tipping points would become possible. These include mountain glacier loss and the migration of forests farther north. “This provides really strong scientific support for rapid cutting of emissions in line with the 1.5 °C goal,” David Armstrong McKay, a climate researcher at the University of Exeter and lead author of the study, told New Scientist. “But the closer you get to 2°C, the more likely some of these tipping points get,” he added. “Where we’re heading at the moment is something like 2.6°C – that’s definitely going to hit lots of tipping points.” At the 2 ºC threshold, the researchers warned that a further six tipping points would also become more likely. They concluded that the study provided more evidence for urgent action to mitigate climate change, adding that further studies would need to be done to delve more deeply into each tipping point. “The world is heading towards 2 ºC to 3 ºC of global warming,” Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a co-author of the study, told The Guardian. “This sets Earth on course to cross multiple dangerous tipping points that will be disastrous for people across the world,” he concluded. “To maintain liveable conditions on Earth and enable stable societies, we must do everything possible to prevent crossing tipping points.”
The average temperature this summer in Europe was the highest on record, according to data from Copernicus, Europe’s climate change service. Average air temperatures from June to August exceeded the previous record set in 2021 by 0.4 ºC, with extreme heatwaves hitting the east of the continent in August and record-breaking temperatures scorching the southwest earlier in the summer. “An intense series of heatwaves across Europe paired with unusually dry conditions have led to a summer of extremes, with records in terms of temperature, drought and fire activity in many parts of Europe, affecting society and nature in various ways,” Freja Vamborg, a senior scientist at Copernicus, told the BBC. “The data shows that we’ve not only had record August temperatures for Europe but also for summer, with the previous summer record only being one year old,” she added. This summer saw record-breaking temperatures across many European countries, including parts of France and Portugal. Across the continent, the heat was also accompanied by the worst drought of the past 500 years. While it is very difficult to determine whether climate change directly caused any individual extreme weather event, World Weather Attribution (WWA) previously concluded that record-high temperatures of 40 ºC in the United Kingdom would have been “extremely unlikely” without human-caused climate change. The initiative, which involves researchers worldwide, used observational and model analysis to determine that human-caused climate change made the event “at least 10 times more likely.” They added that in a world with 1.2 ºC cooler average air temperatures, the United Kingdom would have likely been 2 ºC less hot. At a global level, August was the joint-third-hottest on record, with temperatures exceeding the 1991 to 2020 average for the month by 0.3 ºC. Outside of Europe, the olive-growing regions of China experienced drought and heatwaves throughout the summer months. Parts of Sichuan, in the southwest, experienced 70 consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 40 ºC and the lowest water levels on record, resulting in significant crop losses and power shortages. According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture, China produces about 8,000 tons of olive oil per annum, mainly in Sichuan. California, which accounts for virtually all olive oil produced in the United States, also witnessed one of its warmest summers. Earlier this week, parts of the Golden State experienced record-high temperatures. Sacramento, the state capital, recorded a record high exceeding 46 ºC. San Jose did, too, with the mercury nearly touching 43 ºC. Other cities recorded daily record highs, including San Francisco and Salinas. California producers expect an exceptionally low harvest of 1.8 million tons in the coming crop year, partially fueled by the state’s unrelenting drought.
Spanish table olive producers are anticipating the weakest harvest in a century, according to Asaja Sevilla. The Seville-based chapter of the Union of Young Farmers and Ranchers said about 406,000 tons of table olives would be harvested, a decrease of 38 percent compared to the previous year’s record-high harvest of 659,000 tons. The historic drought and searing heatwaves in Spain, which had already delayed the harvest due to a lack of ripening, caused many trees to desiccate or drop their olives to conserve water as scarcities continued. The association also warned that the damage to some trees might be more long-term. Asaja Sevilla added that if it were not for last year’s significant ending stocks of table olives, 429,000 tons, some canners and exporters might not have had any left to sell domestically after meeting their export obligations. Away from Spain, Asaja Sevilla said they expect production to increase by 35 percent to reach 223,000 tons in Greece, despite a recent hail storm damaging the trees in the northern Chalkidiki peninsula. The association also expects table olive production to rise 62 percent in Egypt, reaching 808,000 tons. The rest of the world is expected to experience significant production decreases, with substantial declines in the United States (-59 percent), Portugal (-19 percent), Italy (-17 percent), Morocco (-17 percent) and Argentina (-4 percent). Overall, global table olive production is expected to reach 1.7 million tons, a 3 percent increase from last year but 5 percent below the rolling five-year average. However, a poor harvest is not necessarily bad news for everyone in the sector. Asaja Sevilla expects table olive prices to rise due to the production decline and an increase in input costs. The expected price increase is fueled partially by an anticipated rise in imports from the United States due to its poor harvest. Asaja Sevilla added the other reason for rising prices results from the 120-percent increase in the cost of diesel, a 180-percent increase in the cost of energy and a 100-percent increase in the cost of fertilizer.
The impact of ultra-processed food consumption on human health may be more significant than the food’s nutritional qualities. According to new research in Italy, food ratings currently used for packaged food labels may miss the point by mainly focusing on the nutritional profile of processed foods. The research paper published by the Journal of the British Medical Association (BMJ) found that significant ultra-processed food consumption leads to higher mortality risks by several causes. However, the nutritional profile of such food does not impact these risks. The same edition of the BMJ also featured American research demonstrating a link between high consumption of ultra-processed food and colorectal cancer, with significant differences in the impact between men and women. Investigating the results of their 15-year study on more than 20,000 individuals, the Italian researchers tested the effects of consuming ultra-processed food, classified as such by NOVA ratings, while also considering their nutritional classification from the Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System (F-S-A-M-N-P-S). NOVA was developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. According to a 2019 United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization paper, NOVA definitions of ultra-processed foods are the most applied in scientific literature. F-S-A-M-N-P-S, on the other hand, is currently used to rate foods by relevant front-of-pack-labeling systems, such as the French-born Nutri-Score. “We felt the need to see if Nutri-Score could really help improve public health, as the European Commission is currently considering its introduction as an E.U.-wide mandatory food rating system,” Marialaura Bonaccio, senior epidemiologist at the Italian Mediterranean Neurologic Institute and co-author of the study, told Olive Oil Times. “In the last 10 years, research has gone beyond focusing on the sole nutritional composition of foods,” she added. “Thanks to the work of Carlos Monteiro and others, the research has begun focusing on how food is transformed and manipulated.” According to the researchers, both FSAm-NPS and NOVA reach their food rating goals when individually applied to foods. Results change, though, when the two indexes are jointly considered. “Both systems correctly predict health risks,” Bonaccio said. “If you constantly choose foods rated as inadequate by Nutri-Score, you expose yourself to greater risks of incurring relevant diseases. The same goes for NOVA, which is also associated with coronary heart disease risk.” “When they are jointly considered, though, the risks associated with Nutri-Score are reduced by the NOVA system, and that tells us we are not seeing the impact of a nutrient-poor diet but the impact of ultra-processed foods,” she added. “More than 80 percent of foods Nutri-Score rates as poor quality foods are ultra-processed.” In the study, the authors wrote that “a significant proportion of the higher mortality risk associated with an elevated intake of nutrient-poor foods was explained by a high degree of food processing. In contrast, the relation between a high ultra-processed food intake and mortality was not explained by the poor quality of these foods.” The NOVA system typically defines ultra-processed food as food having five or more ingredients not usually found in a household. Those substances, such as additives and enhancers, are part of ultra-processing methods as they derive from the further processing of food components. “The ultra-process definition is crucial because it is not univocal. It is mostly common sense,” Bonaccio said. “If I bake a pie at home, I might use many simple ingredients such as flour, eggs or milk. And the outcome might depend on the correct balance among those ingredients.” “But when, on top of that, I use food additives, then the pie starts to become an ultra-processed food,” she added. “That is why the definition is not totally unambiguous. For example, if in a supermarket you see...
Olive growers in Morocco anticipate very low yields as the harvest approaches. Citing the severe effects of the prolonged drought, industry organizations and local experts said that last season’s record harvest will not be repeated this year. “Given the very low levels of groundwater and reservoirs and the scarce rainfall reported during the year, we expect overall olive production to be quite low,” Rachid Benali, president of Morocco’s interprofessional olive oil association (Interprolive), told local media. “In the last two years, the olive trees have suffered [from drought] and were not in the condition to regain access to sufficient water and nutritional resources,” he added. “Like with many other crops, the olive tree needs water for the whole duration of its fruiting season, which means from February to October or November.” Rainfall scarcity throughout winter and spring did not replenish water reserves, while repeated heatwaves and wildfires have tested local farming operations. The blazes displaced more than 3,000 families and destroyed more than 10,000 hectares of forest. According to an editorial from Hespress Français, the effects of the drought are especially harsh in two of the most relevant olive-producing regions: Marrakech-Safi et Fès-Meknès. In the country’s north-central and northeastern regions, an extraordinarily hot and dry summer resulted in a lack of water for irrigation systems. The two regions account for almost 50 percent of the national olive production. “Apart from the eastern region, all the olive-growing regions of Morocco will suffer a very significant drop in production,” Benali told a separate local media outlet. Moroccan authorities said the current drought is the worst of the last three decades. Most regions and city councils adopted water rationing measures. As a result, drinking water flows were reduced, while water-intensive household activities, such as gardening or irrigation, were suspended. The country’s water reserves are now estimated at 28 percent of their capacity, compared with the 46 percent reported last year. According to a recent World Bank report cited by The North Africa Post, the effects of climate change, including droughts and floods, have cost the country more than €580 million annually. In the last decade, Moroccan olive production has been growing along with the nationwide efforts to promote a modern approach to olive farming. According to the International Olive Council, Morocco produced 145,000 tons of olive oil in the 2019/20 crop year, 160,000 tons in 2020/21 and 200,000 tons in 2021/22. These production figures place the country among the world’s most relevant non-European olive oil producers. Overall, the olive sector represents around 5 percent of all Moroccan agricultural production. According to Benali, the current situation requires citizens and farmers to ration their water use. “Our efforts must be directed towards the rational use of our water resources by transferring water from the Al Wahda dam to other regions, limiting water-intensive crops, prohibiting irrigation, building several small dams and reforesting forests,” he said.
Greece is consistently the second-largest supplier of the Italian olive oil industry after Spain covering a significant part of Italy’s demand for imported olive oil each year, according to an analysis of the Italian olive oil sector by the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy in Milan. In 2021, more than 75 percent of Greek olive oil exports went to Italy in bulk, the analysis found. In other words, Greece supplied more than 111,000 tons of the 500,000 tons of olive oil Italy imported, representing 22 percent of all Italy’s olive oil imports last year. On the other hand, Spain, the world’s largest producer and exporter of olive oil, accounted for more than 60 percent of the Italian olive oil imports that year. Total exports of Greek olive oil of all grades reached 146,000 tons in 2021 and were valued at €533 million, while 165,000 tons valued at €470 million were exported from the country in 2020. The figures indicate that Italy is the largest buyer of Greek olive oil. However, the oil from Greece flows to neighboring Italy in bulk, with Greek producers and exporters routinely failing to gain the added value of branded olive oil. Additionally, the report said that Italian importers usually pay less for Greek olive oil than oil produced in Italy. Based on historical data, until 2020, a kilogram of imported Greek extra virgin olive oil cost Italian traders less than €3.00 compared with the price at origin in Italy of around €3.70. According to Medit Hellas, a company based in Patras that exports unpackaged olive oil to Italy and other countries, Greek producers are largely dependent on Italian traders when looking to sell their oils. “The large producing and bottling companies of Italy call the shots in the Greek olive oil sector to a great extent,” the company’s owners told Olive Oil Times. “They come each year and buy large amounts of Greek olive oil.” “Italy bottles 800,000 to 900,000 tons of olive oil each season,” they added. “With the country’s production ranging between 250,000 and 300,000 tons, they need a lot more olive oil, which they buy from other producing countries, including Greece and Spain.” “Greek olive oil is generally pricier than oils of other countries, but Italians buy it in large quantities and always in bulk to make blends,” the Medit Hella owners continued. “The Italian market for olive oil is dominated by domestic brands. We are unaware of a single Greek producer exporting branded olive oil to Italy.” It is also common practice for Italian commercial agents to travel to Greek olive oil-producing regions to monitor how the season is evolving and what to expect in terms of quantity and quality. Last spring, Italian importers paid a visit to the area of Laconia in the southern Peloponnese to take a closer look at the flowering of the olive trees. Petrina’s agricultural cooperative in Laconia, one of the first olive oil associations in Greece founded more than a century ago, has long been exporting olive oil to Italy. “Around 30 to 40 percent of the olive oil we produce each year is exported to Italy in bulk,” the cooperative told Olive Oil Times. “We also export packed branded olive oil to other countries, including the United States and Canada. However, we haven’t yet figured out how to send bottled olive oil to Italy.” “We produce and export only extra virgin olive oil of top quality,” they added. “Of course, despite the high standards of our olive oil, we do not get a premium for our exports to Italy since our oil is shipped unbranded.” Around 30 percent of the olive oil bottled in Italy is exclusively of Italian origin, the report said, while the widely accepted high-quality of Italian olive oil is critical to its success in global markets. In addition, the long-standing practice of Italian bottlers acquiring olive oils from other countries and blending them has resulted in blended olive oil being registered in consumers’ consciousness globally as an exclusively ‘Made in ...
Despite high production costs and frequent electrical outages, producers in South Africa expect a yield on par with last year’s record high. Some growers have reported lower yields, but they told Olive Oil Times their extra virgin olive oils are of outstanding quality this year. “Our current estimate for 2022 is just under 1.7 million liters of olive oil produced,” Vittoria Jooste, the chief executive of the South African Olive Industry Association (SA Olive), told Olive Oil Times. “There have been variances in olive harvests across regions,” she added. “However, the volume of olive oil produced is similar to 2021.” Jooste said producers faced enormous challenges with load shedding (a South African term for power cuts) at the peak moment of harvesting. “The worst impact of load shedding is not so much on the harvest as on the transformation of the olives,” she said. “If olives are not processed right after picking, defects can develop, which affect the grade of olive oil produced with a negative impact on the selling price,” Jooste added. “To mitigate this risk, producers have to incur additional costs for overtime, transport, fuel for generators and cold storage.” Brenda Wilkinson, the co-owner of Rio Largo Olive Estate between Worcester and Robertson in the country’s Western Cape province, confirmed load shedding was a hindrance during the recent harvest. “Load shedding made for very difficult process planning, as power was often cut off at short notice,” she told Olive Oil Times. “Furthermore, every time the power goes off, the whole processing plant must be shut down and fully cleaned, which takes the better part of two hours.” “If you don’t shut down and clean the processing plant, there is a risk of fermentation and a negative effect on the quality of the oil,” Wilkinson added. “Obviously, this increases production costs and the need to work unscheduled overtime hours.” “The overall effect on the cost of production is substantial when coupled with the government’s imposed increase in minimum labor rates and increases in electricity and fuel prices that were all well above inflation rates,” she continued. Wilkinson explained the rise in fuel prices also affected the running costs of standby electricity generators. She said there is resistance from big retailers and consumers to price increases, and profitability is an issue. “However, the hot, dry weather in Europe and the recent outlook of a much smaller crop, together with associated logistics bottlenecks and price increases, have determined that international olive oil prices are starting to increase significantly,” she said. Wilkinson expressed optimism that price increases will bring relief before the end of this year. Initially, she expected her harvest to be much smaller than last year’s record. However, she said their oil yield was good and the quality profile excellent, with the company earning a Gold Award at the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition. Hedley Manicom, the co-owner of nearby Owl’s Rest Olive and Lavender Farm, told Olive Oil Times they had a successful harvest this year. “It was much better than last year’s, which was very poor for us,” he said. Manicom said load shedding disrupted milling at Owl’s Rest. “But this was managed without major issues,” he added. Similar to Wilkinson, Manicom said increased production costs were a challenge. “The large increase in the minimum wage created some problems as our workers – mostly paid well above the minimum wage – received lower increases than the workers that earn minimum wages,” he said. “The other issue is the significant increases in fertilizer and diesel costs that the agricultural sector has had to deal with.” “With our labor laws weighing strongly in favor of the employee, low productivity levels, increasing bureaucratic requirements and a sharp increase in the minimum wage and declining infrastructure for exports, I fear that we are going to see a number of farms unable to shou...
Hailstorms in northern Greece have caused extensive damage in olive-producing areas of the Chalkidiki peninsula, where the region’s characteristic green oval-shaped table olives are grown. The hailstones knocked olives to the ground and dented the remaining fruits on the tree branches. The areas of Polygyros and Ormylia, among the most productive of the region, were most impacted. “We try hard and spare no expense all year round for a good yield, and now this,” farmers affected by the hail told local media. “Let’s hope that ELGA [the Greek organization of agricultural insurances] will rise to the occasion to provide proper compensation and not just withhold money from our subsidies.” ERT, the national broadcasting channel of Greece, reported that a 15-minute-long hailstorm in Ormylia almost completely destroyed the Chalkidiki table olives of the area ahead of harvest. The cost of the damage to olive groves caused by the adverse weather is expected to rise in Ormylia, according to some initial estimates. “Out of 35,000 tons [of table olives] the area produces, 6,000 to 7,000 tons have been completely destroyed,” said Christos Tsipelis, head of the local Ormylia agricultural association. “Around 60,000 [olive] trees were hit [by the hail], and if we consider that the cost of cultivating a single tree is €30, the total financial loss inflicted amounts to €1.8 million.” Harvest estimates for the Chalkidiki region predicted the table olive production to exceed 100,000 tons in the 2022/23 crop year, provided the weather conditions remained advantageous. “There are 15 to 20 days left until harvest, and, fingers crossed, we hope no more erratic weather is coming our way,” said Vagelis Misailides, a farmer from the Simantra village. “We can cope with the water shortage and the lack of workers in one way or another, but if extreme weather phenomena occur, then I am afraid that many fellow growers will shut down their businesses with dire consequences for the whole region.” Last year, the olive trees of the Chalkidiki variety on the peninsula suffered from reduced fruition, resulting in an 80-percent lower yield than expected. “If the weather is against us again this year, then the future of this Protected Designation of Origin product looks ominous,” said Misailides. “However, in recent years, the income we receive is satisfying provided the yield is robust and not lost due to inclement weather.”
Olive oil production in Portugal is expected to fall to 100,000 tons in the 2022/23 crop year, according to Mariana Matos, the secretary-general of Casa do Azeite, a producers’ association. “This drop is due to the fact that this is [an off-year in the olive trees’ natural alternate bearing cycle], but also to the fact that this year was particularly difficult due to drought, high temperatures at the time of blooming, in addition to other adverse conditions,” she told Olive Oil Times. Last year, Portugal produced a record-breaking amount of olive oil, with production figures ranging from 206,000 to 230,000 tons. As a result, most producers expected to see some decline this year. Compounding the impacts of the ‘off-year’ is Portugal’s ongoing drought. The western Iberian country is on pace for its second-driest hydrological year (which runs from October to September) since records began in 1931, according to the Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere. To date, just 419 millimeters of rain have fallen in the country, less than half of what falls in a normal year. Miguel Massa, the chief executive of Porttable in Trás-os-Montes, told Olive Oil Times that he was anticipating a poor harvest as a result of the drought. “Production is quite reduced, and some people won’t even harvest,” he said. However, the lack of rain has not impacted all olive growers or regions of Portugal equally. Larger high-density (intensive) and super-high-density (super-intensive) groves, virtually of which are irrigated, were significantly less affected by the drought. The vast majority of these groves are located in the olive oil-soaked southern region of Alentejo, which Matos predicted would produce 80,000 tons of olive oil during the coming harvest. Instead, traditional rainfed groves, which make up about 30 percent of all Portuguese olive groves, are bearing the brunt of the drought. “The drought had a big negative impact on the rainfed olive groves,” Manuel Norte Santo, the sales manager at the Industrial and Commerce Society of Olive Oil, told Olive Oil Times. “This dry period affected the plant cycle, threatening the development of the flowering and consequent development of the fruit.” In the northern region of Trás-os-Montes, the persistently dry weather has sparked a series of wildfires and led local officials to make irrigation a top priority for the region’s farmers. While few olive trees have been destroyed by the fires, which have scorched more than 100,000 hectares, local mayors concluded at a joint press conference that irrigation “is crucial for the future of agriculture,” development of the economy and fight against climate change. Matos agrees that increasing access to water resources is essential for developing the country’s olive oil sector. “Increasing irrigation infrastructure and dams is essential in Trás-os-Montes and across the country, considering the ongoing climate change,” she said. “As can be seen in the Alqueva dam region in Alentejo, the conclusion of this infrastructure allowed a huge increase in olive oil production in Portugal, as well as other crops.” However, Massa warned that the topography of Trás-os-Montes, with olive groves frequently located 400 meters above the nearest reservoir or supply of water, would make installing irrigation nearly impossible for small producers. “That’s something that common producers – people who don’t have their own brand – can’t afford to do,” he said. Portugal’s historic drought and wildfires may be the stories capturing international headlines, but both Matos and Norte Santo warned that the sector faces plenty of immediate and long-term challenges. “This year has been like the perfect storm, affecting not only producers but industry and commerce as well,” Matos said. “The sharp increase in production costs, as well as all the logistical and supply chain difficulties, led to an increase in the price at origin, which is affecting consumption.” Norte Santo added that prices of ferti...
Europe is experiencing its worst drought of the past 500 years, according to the European Commission’s Joint Research Center. “We haven’t analyzed fully [this year’s drought] because it is still ongoing, but based on my experience, I think that this is perhaps even more extreme than 2018,” Andrea Toreti, a senior researcher at the European Drought Observatory, told a conference last week. “Just to give you an idea, the 2018 drought was so extreme that, looking back at least the last 500 years, there were no other events similar to the drought of 2018, but this year I think it is really worse than 2018,” he added. Western and central Europe have recorded virtually no rainfall in the past two months, and the Joint Research Center warned that conditions will likely worsen over the next three months. Officials at Europe’s leading science and knowledge service estimated that 47 percent of the 27-member bloc is at risk of being impacted by the drought, with farmers across four of the continent’s largest olive oil-producing countries among the most severely affected. France, Italy, Portugal and Spain – which combined to yield 88 percent of the European Union’s olive oil production in the 2021/22 crop year – have felt the impacts of an unusually dry winter and spring followed by several extreme heatwaves. In Spain, the world’s largest olive oil-producing country by a significant margin, the country’s reservoirs are at just 40 percent of their normal capacity. Officials have responded by putting water restrictions in place. In Andalusia, the most fruitful olive oil-producing region in the world, the drought is particularly pronounced. Local reservoirs are at just 25 percent capacity. Underground aquifers and natural bodies of surface water are also running low. Olive growers in the region have warned that the harvest from rainfed groves will likely be less than 20 percent of the average of the previous half-decade. Yields from irrigated groves are also expected to fall by more than 50 percent. The Association of Young Farmers and Ranchers (Asaja) predicts that Spain will produce 1 million tons of olive oil in the 2022/23 crop year, the lowest total since 2013/14. A recently-published study in Nature Geoscience found that parts of Spain are the driest that they have been in more than 1,000 years. The drought has been just as unforgiving on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula in Portugal. Rainfall in Europe’s fourth-largest olive oil-producing country has also been historically sparse. According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), Portugal has received half of the rainfall it normally does during a hydrological year, which runs from October to September. Overall, the 2021/22 hydrological year is on pace to be the second driest since records began in 1931, with just 419 millimeters of rain falling to date. Only 2004/05 was drier. Gonçalo Almeida Simões, the executive director of the Alentejo Olive Oil Association, told local media that olive growers across the country were feeling the effect of the drought. Rainfed groves – which represent 30 percent of all Portuguese olive groves – were being hit the hardest by the drought and expect to see significant production declines. On the other hand, irrigated groves are still being supplied with adequate amounts of water and are likely to see more minor production decreases. As a result, officials in the northern Portuguese region of Trás-os-Montes have pledged to invest more money in irrigation infrastructure to help producers deal with severe water deficits. On the other side of Spain, France is also facing its “most severe” drought on record. Insufficient precipitation across the country – specifically in the mountainous southeast where snowfall at the beginning of the year melts during the summer to replenish rivers and reservoirs – combined with scorching heatwaves, which have led to evaporation from those unreplenished rivers and reservoirs, have caused...
In some regions of Italy, it is not uncommon to come across majestic olive trees dating back more than a thousand years. Their huge diameters, twisted trunks and shapes molded through centuries enchant tourists while assuming a symbolic meaning for local communities as part of collective memories and traditions. Silent witnesses to history, these giants represent a remarkable example of nature’s resilience, capable of surviving frost, drought, wildfire and lightning, which has been known to split tree trunks in two. Yet, in some conditions, they can bear fruit for hundreds of years, yielding precious oil. Over the years, some of these trees have been named, such as the Queen of Salento in Puglia. For more than 1,400 years, its foliage has shaded the surroundings, and whoever comes to touch its bark, locals say, feels surrounded by a powerful energy. Then, there is the Olive of the Witch in Tuscany, a 1,700 year-old-tree that stands in an olive grove in Grosseto. The ancient tree owes its name to a legend that says witches used to gather around it to perform their magical rites. With an estimated age of 4,000 years, the Patriarch of Nature in Luras, Sardinia, is considered one of the oldest olive trees in Italy, contending for primacy with Olivone (literally meaning the big olive tree) in Palombara Sabina, a few kilometers away from Rome. After an accident uprooted part of the trunk in 2009, the inhabitants of the area have made great efforts to preserve and restore the millenary tree. Taking a photo beneath its majestic canopy has been a local tradition for young couples on their wedding days and is meant to bring peace and prosperity to their futures. A heritage to be protected and valorized, these trees are now threatened by climate change and land management. For example, a massive fire in July 2021 damaged the impressive Sa Tanca Manna olive tree in Cuglieri, Sardinia. However, after the exceptional restoration work done by a team of botanists and volunteers, new shoots have sprung from the tree’s trunk. “Many people said we were wasting our time trying to revive it,” said Gianluigi Bacchetta, the director of the University of Cagliari’s botanical garden. “Instead, we based our strategy on a series of actions that have proved successful, combining mulching, emergency irrigation, amino acids to stimulate the restoration of root functionality, and protecting the trunk with jute sheets and an upper covering to simulate the crown that was gone.” Around the country, local volunteer associations assume responsibility for protecting and restoring these trees while spreading the culture of slow tourism and landscape conservation. Enzo Suma is among the founders of Millenari di Puglia, an association based in Ostuni, in the province of Brindisi, that has worked on environmental education for more than 10 years. “Puglia is the Italian region with the highest number of monumental olive trees: 350,000, according to the regional list available on the website of the Regione Puglia,” he said. “We work for the tutelage of this unique landscape by organizing excursions and guided tours throughout the year and dissemination activities especially devoted to schools.” “Thousands of people had by now attended our events: a large part is students, but also families, tourists and citizens,” Suma added. Intending to add value to the olive oil produced in the region from monumental trees, the association also works with other countries in the Mediterranean, such as Spain. Millenari di Puglia recently teamed up with a similar organization in Sénia, Catalonia, to organize the Giants of Puglia Award, a competition to draw attention to millenary trees around the region.
In recent years, extreme summer droughts have become a significant challenge for Croatian olive growers. The dry periods are getting longer and more extreme as spring precipitation becomes increasingly scarce and water reserves in the soil are not renewed. However, Josip Pavlica, a 28-year-old agronomist and olive grower from Zadar, Dalmatia, has developed some strategies to help farmers make the most of the rain that does fall ahead of the harvest. “In order to encourage better water accumulation in the soil, I first did an autumn tillage,” said Pavlica, who is also the secretary of the Association of Olive Growers of Zadar County. “Then I add mineral fertilizer with an emphasis on phosphorus and potassium to the soil, as well as indispensable organic fertilizer.” This ensures a sufficient amount of nutrients and reduces the population of weeds, which compete with olive trees for water and nutrients. Furthermore, at the beginning of spring, in his olive grove in the northern Dalmatian region of Zemunik Gornji, Josip implements top-feeding with an emphasis on nitrogen. He also performs shallow tillage to preserve the existing moisture in the soil. Also, in the spring and summer, he carries out foliar feeding several times with a combination of fertilizers containing macro and microelements. Finally, he adds a biostimulant to prepare the plant for the stress caused by arid conditions. Starting in the current growing season, he also started treating his olives with a preparation based on kaolin clay preserves moisture in the trees’ leaves and deters olive fruit fly infestations. “The white color causes the sun’s rays to be reflected, which warms the tree to a lesser extent and reduces evapotranspiration and thus water loss,” Pavlica said. He adds that kaolin clay has proven to be very good in practice against the olive fruit fly, the most pernicious olive pest. When it covers the fruit, the clay creates a barrier the fly cannot penetrate. The white color also makes the fruit unrecognizable to the fly. “This kind of treatment is completely ecological and does not leave any residues in the oil,” Pavlica said. However, he added that all these measures are unnecessary if the olive trees are not getting enough water to produce fruit in the first place. “All these previously mentioned measures are very useful, but water is simply an irreplaceable element that enables high-quality, regular and continuous production,” Pavlica said. Therefore, he is considering whether to look for an underground water source to preserve the quality and quantity of the crop. This is usually a rather expensive undertaking, but it is increasingly likely that it will become inevitable. Encouraged by the example of the award-winning producer, Ivica Vlatković, Pavlic intends to plant new olive varieties that come from sub-Saharan Africa, which tolerate high temperatures much better than the native Oblica variety. Furthermore, the irrigation of olive groves requires large amounts of water, with each tree requiring several hundred liters of water per round of irrigation. Some olive growers, including Vlatković, have already begun to tackle this problem by irrigating the canopies of their trees. With significantly lower water consumption, the sprinklers must include a misting system at night when the air is the coldest, and the least amount of water will evaporate. The crown of each tree has its own nozzle that sprays. The water then flows from the branches down to the ground beneath the tree. The leaf surface manages to absorb very small particles of water, and the result is visible in a very short time. Water consumption is also significantly reduced compared to the classic irrigation system, Pavlica concluded.
More than two dozen adolescents and adults completed an olive oil educational program at the UC Davis Olive Center earlier this month. Javier Fernandez-Salvador, the Olive Center’s executive director, told Olive Oil Times that the pilot program was, to his knowledge, the first of its kind in the United States that provided a comprehensive sensorial analysis and olive oil cooking class for children. It’s essential that we get people understanding oil at a younger age.– Javier Fernandez-Salvador, executive director, UC Davis Olive Center “We wanted to experiment and see how everything went, and I think it went really well,” he said. “Our next approach will include doing a specific class for children. We need to reach this target audience first and expand from there.” Over two days at the Robert Mondavi Institute in Davis, the adolescents learned how to perform olive oil sensory evaluation, including how to identify some common olive oil defects, about olive oil food pairings and took part in an olive oil cooking class. “We start with different exercises, going over what is bitter and astringent,” he said. “Then we show them how to perceive and use your retronasal.” Once the adolescents learned how to taste, they were given samples of rancid olive oil that had once been quite a high-quality extra virgin and another fresh, green extra virgin olive oil. Fernandez-Salvador said most of the children identified the rancid oil as the flavor profile they associated with olive oil. However, everything changed after he gave them an excessively rancid olive oil that exhibited some fustiness, which occurs when olives have been stored improperly after the harvest and before milling and begin to ferment. This whole process led to a discussion on olive oil defects and was immediately juxtaposed by tasting a very pungent and robust extra virgin olive oil. Fernandez-Salvador said it was important for people to learn to differentiate defective olive oil from extra virgin olive oil at a young age. Like hearing or sight, both the senses of taste and smell begin to dull as people get older. As a result, Fernandez-Salvador added that it is harder to train a 30-year-old to detect olive oil defects than it is to teach someone half of that age, which is the goal of the course. “It’s essential that we get people understanding oil at a younger age,” he said. Thinking about how to cultivate best a sense of connection and curiosity about olive oil was also one of the reasons behind UC Davis asking chefs and cookbook authors Maria Loi and Jehangir Mehta to present the cooking section of the course. Fernandez-Salvador, who has a teenage son himself, said that anecdotally he noticed many more young people becoming interested in cooking as a result of celebrity chefs and watching influencers present recipes on social media platforms, such as TikTok. “We [also] covered a bit of the production,” he added. “We have a demonstration garden and a small orchard. We took them out there, and we did a little propagation. We showed them how trees are harvested.” Fernandez-Salvador believes this type of education is necessary to increase per capita olive oil consumption in the United States and dispel some of the persistent myths about cooking with olive oil. He intends to expand the Olive Center’s offering for children’s education in the coming year, including programs for young children.
The Hi-Enn chapter of Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias, Spain’s leading agricultural cooperative, estimates that the world’s largest olive oil-producing province could lose up to €1 billion in the coming olive harvest if current conditions remain the same. The organization said the province would produce 230,000 tons of olive oil in the coming crop year, significantly down from the 499,796 tons produced in the 2021/22 crop year, representing 38 percent of all Spanish olive oil production. Higinio Castellano, the president of Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias Hi-Enn, blamed the extreme drought from which the region is suffering for the poor harvest expectations. He added that the problem could become even worse if no rain falls between now and the start of the harvest. Although Hi-Enn experienced a similar harvest in the 2014/15 crop year, the worst year for producers in the past decade, Castellano warned that this year’s production drop would have more profound economic impacts. Production costs have risen significantly in 2022, fueled by increasing prices for fertilizer, phytosanitary products and energy prices. As a result, Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias has called on Spain’s federal government to lower taxes on these inputs ahead of the start of the harvest in October. Castellano added that water use restrictions have also impacted the province’s rainfed groves and called on authorities to lift a ban on water canons in non-irrigated groves. The estimates from Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias come soon after Deoleo, the world’s largest olive oil bottler, announced a significant decline in profits and local authorities in Hi-Enn approved a €10 million employment plan to offset wages lost by olive pickers this harvest. Spain’s ongoing drought has also slowed the sector’s momentum. In July, olive oil sales reached 135,000 tons, 13 percent above the same month in 2021. Olive oil exports fueled a trade surplus in the first half of 2022 in Andalusia, the autonomous community in which Hi-Enn is located. Producers and bottlers exported €1.3 billion of olive oil in the first five months of the year, an increase of about 23 percent compared with the same period in 2021. For their part, producers have already adjusted their prices, which are 15 percent higher than they were a year ago, to make up for what will almost certainly be a poor harvest.
Spanish olive growers have expressed low expectations for the coming harvest. Plagued by a prolonged and severe drought and a series of heatwaves, agriculture in Spain is facing one of the most challenging moments in recent years. Some experts believe that olive yields in the world’s largest olive oil-producing nation will also significantly drop. The Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas publicly warned that olive production would slow down. Kyle Holland, an analyst at the research group Mintec, predicted a 25 to 30-percent yield reduction is highly probable. Last year, Spain produced 1.3 million tons of olive oil, according to the International Olive Council figures, slightly below the 1.37 million tons of the five-year rolling average. The Association of Young Farmers and Ranchers (Ah-SAH-Hah) in Andalusia estimates that Spain will produce 1 million tons of olive oil in the current crop year. However, Primitivo Fernández, the director of the National Association of Industrial Packers and Refiners of Edible Oils, said the country has more than 500,000 tons in its stocks, which will meet demand on the national and international markets. Ah-SAH-Hah said the drought has reduced the resilience of non-irrigated groves to the effects of the heatwaves. Furthermore, the reduced amount of water for irrigation also was unable to meet the needs of the irrigated olive groves. Decreasing water availability for irrigation will weigh on the final production figures as nearly 30 percent of the country’s olive groves are irrigated, according to estimates from Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants. Most irrigated groves are cultivated under high-density (intensive) and super-high-density (super-intensive) regimes. While representing about one-third of the total olive growing surface area, irrigated groves constitute a disproportionately large amount of total olive oil production in Spain. The challenging climate is hitting all olive-growing regions, especially Andalusia. The southern autonomous community represents 75 percent of Spanish olive production and is bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change. Andalusian olive oil production by value has steadily increased in recent years, fueling regional development. However, it is heavily reliant on water availability. For example, La Vinuela, a reservoir in Málaga, is now so low authorities estimate it will remain at 11 percent of its total capacity until the end of August. With its water reserves at a historical low, the area is also suffering from unprecedented dry conditions. A recent study published in Nature Geoscience demonstrates that the Iberian peninsula has not experienced such extreme drought conditions in the last 1,200 years. According to Holland, the Mintec analyst, Spain’s extreme heat may also pose problems for the quality of the olive harvest along with the quantity. “There are also major worries in the market regarding the quality of the coming crop and what proportion of the crop will make extra virgin or virgin grades and how much will be classed as lampante,” he said. Lampante is a category of olive oil that cannot be safely consumed unless it is refined. Carlos Oliva, the sales manager at Finca La Barca, an estate near Toledo in Extremadura, told Olive Oil Times that the current season is especially challenging. Still, they expect the quality to be as high as ever. “The new harvest will be low in terms of the quantity of olives, but we think we will get good quality,” he said. “The heatwaves are always a problem for any agricultural crop, but we have to get used to them because the next summers will be the same or even worse.” Oliva added that the current drought emphasized the need for Spain to develop a meaningful public strategy to address climate change. “We live in one of the poorest areas of Spain, and our government is not doing enough to fight the challenging climate,” he said. “Our company is working on new approaches to improve the harvest quality despite the ...
At the foot of Mount Taygetos on the southwestern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula is Kalamata. The city is well-known in Greece for its beautiful beaches only a stone’s throw away from downtown and easy escapes to the nearby mountains for locals and visitors alike. Kalamata and the broader Messenia region also boast a long tradition of producing olive oil and table olives. Apart from the renowned Protected Designation of Origin-certified Kalamata olives produced in the area, Messenia is a significant olive oil-producing region, yielding more than 50,000 tons in bountiful seasons. As a result, Messenia is home to dozens of businesses involved in producing, bottling and exporting olive oil. Among them, Monogram Olive Oil is the brainchild of the Magganas family, which boasts a rich past in olive cultivation and oil production dating back three generations. “My grandfather started planting olive trees in 1918,” co-owner Anastasis Magganas told Olive Oil Times. “Then, my father took over, the first in the family to produce top-quality extra virgin olive oil.” “I remember as a boy going with him to the fields learning the secrets of cultivating and pruning the olive trees,” he added. “The creation of a range of olive-based products came as a natural flow in my life’s twists and turns, also fulfilling my desire to return and stay at my birthplace, Kalamata.” Magganas also recalled when the family contemplated venturing into the world of professional olive oil production. “I remember I was in the fields during the day with the workers, and when the sun was setting, we were gathering with [my wife] Vassiliki and [my sister] Joanna by the fireplace, discussing and dreaming while looking at old photos,” Magganas said. “Eventually, our dream came true in 2018, and now Monogram is a globally recognized olive oil company with distinctions in international olive oil quality and design competitions,” he added. The Magganas family, who form the Monogram team, is a well-matched yet heterogeneous group of people whose different educational and scientific backgrounds perfectly serve the company’s needs and day-to-day operations. Magganas is a mathematician who brings his finance and olive oil production expertise. Meanwhile, Joanna, a dermatologist currently living and working in Zurich, has a deep understanding of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil. Food chemist Vassiliki Skiada contributes her professional competence after working as a supervisor in olive oil quality laboratories for more than a decade. Last but not least, Manos Vournelis, a process engineer, is the product manager at Monogram. “The partners I have chosen to join the Monogram team are our most important resource,” Magganas said. “I firmly believe in team spirit, the expertise that each of us possesses, and our dedication and willingness to succeed.” “I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of our external partner, agronomist and olive oil expert Konstantinos Liris, and his capacity as a quality consultant,” he added. The name Monogram, meaning two or more interwoven letters, came about by chance when the company’s founders were searching for a suitable name for their newborn business. “My love for poetry led me to the word, Monogram,” Magganas said. “One evening, I was reading the poem Monogram, written by one of the greatest Greek poets, the Nobel Prize winner Odysseas Elytis.” “Monogram is a Greek word pronounced the same way in all languages, and the poem reminded me of my love and passion for olive oil,” he added. “We decided on it almost immediately, and it has been our quality signature ever since.” Even though the company’s inception coincided with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the team behind Monogram turned the challenge into an opportunity, taking advantage of the markets’ closures to lay the foundations for a successful entry into the olive oil business. “During the two difficult years of the pandemic, we worked interna...
Researchers from universities in the United States and the United Kingdom have developed a way to make photosynthesis more efficient in soybeans. After more than a decade of work, scientists from the University of Ilinois and the University of Lancaster tackled what they had previously identified as one of the least efficient aspects of photosynthesis. Typically, plants absorb the energy from sunlight and turn it into carbon dioxide. They also use water and minerals absorbed from the soil to create sugars that create growth. However, in very bright sunlight, plants release excess energy as heat to protect their cells from being damaged. This process of shifting from the so-called “fully productive growth mode” to the “protective mode” takes several minutes, resulting in a natural loss of efficiency. By tweaking the genes responsible for this protective function of the plant, the researchers were able to expedite the process, which resulted in a 20 percent increase in yield for the soybean plants. “This jump in the yield is huge by comparison to the improvements we get through plant breeding,” Stephen Long, an agricultural scientist who works at both universities, told the BBC. “And the process we’ve tackled is universal, so the fact we have it working in a food crop gives us a lot of confidence that this should work in wheat, maize and rice.” The efficiency of photosynthesis in olive trees could also be improved using a similar method, though staple crops are the main focus of the research. Long added that the crops could be growing in fields within 10 years, but laws regarding the cultivation of genetically-modified crops would likely impact how quickly and where these crops could be introduced. The results of this experiment have come at an incredibly timely moment as concern mounts about global food shortages created by drought, conflict and supply chain issues. A recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations found that nearly 10 percent of the global population was hungry in 2021. The report added that the situation has been getting worse in recent years. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), more than 660 million people will face malnutrition and food insecurity by 2030. The scientists behind this research hope it will help the world’s poorest farmers have more productive harvests and bolster food production in the areas where it is most needed. “The number of people affected by food insufficiency continues to grow, and projections clearly show that there needs to be a change at the food supply level to change the trajectory,” said Amanda De Souza, the study’s lead author. “Our research shows an effective way to contribute to food security for the people who need it most while avoiding more land being put into production,” she concluded. “Improving photosynthesis is a major opportunity to gain the needed jump in yield potential.”
The Valencian farmers union (La Unió) has forecast a disastrous olive harvest for the region, with an average decrease of 75 percent compared to the previous year. Estimates vary by province, from a 68 percent drop in Alicante to an 85 percent drop in Castellón. Production losses alone are predicted to cost the autonomous community €70 million. Growers in the province of Valencia are expected to lose a total of €25 million, those in Castellón €22.6 million, and in Alicante €21.9 million. In addition, very few olive farmers in the region carry insurance for their crops. As has been the case in many Mediterranean olive-growing regions, a series of unseasonal meteorological events have combined to affect Valencia’s groves severely. Spring was characterized by extreme variations in weather, including flooding, hailstorms and both abnormally high and abnormally low temperatures which caused humidity and frost, respectively. These, in turn, led to mass fungal infestation resulting in widespread defoliation; and severely delayed or inhibited flower and fruit development. Due to the severe economic impact such high production losses would have, the union has called on the major agricultural insurer Agroseguro and the regional Ministry of Agriculture to offer financial incentives and subsidies to olive growers across the Valencian Community to increase insurance coverage against such an eventuality. The organization has already proposed that the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), due to enter into force in January 2023, include an additional €100 in aid per hectare for all rain-fed crops, including olive groves, to encourage more sustainable cultivation practices with lower environmental impact. They draw attention to the fact that in addition to the direct environmental damage they cause, high-density (intensive) farming methods are making traditional groves less competitive, thereby putting their future at risk.
As has been the case across the Mediterranean region, the Italian olive sector has experienced a series of setbacks this year, with high temperatures and drought now threatening to jeopardize the next harvest. Initial estimates from Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, a farmers’ association, are for a 30-percent drop for the 2022/23 crop year compared to the previous season in the main southern Italian olive-producing regions of Puglia, Calabria, Sicily and Campania. Even though olive trees are highly drought-resistant, water plays a crucial role in certain stages of the plant’s life cycle. Abnormal heat during the flowering period in May and water deficit during the growth phase in July have combined to create a very unfavorable year for olive production. As a result, the tree is forced to sacrifice elements of its standard biological processes to survive, thereby saving available resources. In a worrying early sign, some groves are already reporting dry and shriveled fruits appearing. Even when the olives appear to grow normally, water stress dehydrates the pulp and compromises its development, thereby reducing oil formation. Adding to the climatic problems is the looming threat of the olive fruit fly. At the pre-harvest stage in autumn, the insect could further damage the quantity and quality of production. According to Cia, in the face of growing climate imbalance, the modernization of water reservoirs and associated infrastructure are vital for the future of olive cultivation, as well as better soil management and irrigation techniques aimed at limiting water loss. The Italian olive sector is currently one of the most important globally, with production accounting for 15 percent of world production, second only to Spain.
As has been the case across the Mediterranean region, the Italian olive sector has experienced a series of setbacks this year, with high temperatures and drought now threatening to jeopardize the next harvest. Initial estimates from Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, a farmers’ association, are for a 30-percent drop for the 2022/23 crop year compared to the previous season in the main southern Italian olive-producing regions of Puglia, Calabria, Sicily and Campania. Even though olive trees are highly drought-resistant, water plays a crucial role in certain stages of the plant’s life cycle. Abnormal heat during the flowering period in May and water deficit during the growth phase in July have combined to create a very unfavorable year for olive production. As a result, the tree is forced to sacrifice elements of its standard biological processes to survive, thereby saving available resources. In a worrying early sign, some groves are already reporting dry and shriveled fruits appearing. Even when the olives appear to grow normally, water stress dehydrates the pulp and compromises its development, thereby reducing oil formation. Adding to the climatic problems is the looming threat of the olive fruit fly. At the pre-harvest stage in autumn, the insect could further damage the quantity and quality of production. According to Cia, in the face of growing climate imbalance, the modernization of water reservoirs and associated infrastructure are vital for the future of olive cultivation, as well as better soil management and irrigation techniques aimed at limiting water loss. The Italian olive sector is currently one of the most important globally, with production accounting for 15 percent of world production, second only to Spain.
According to APAG Extremadura Asaja, the autonomous community’s olive harvest is on track for a record decline compared to last year. Juan Metidieri, the organization’s president, has warned that it will be “the worst harvest in history” based on all factors analyzed to date. The organization estimates that the number of olives destined for oil production could fall up to 80 percent compared to last year, resulting in just 23,000 tons of olive oil produced, compared to 103,600 tons last year. The predicted table olive losses could amount to up to 85 percent with an estimated production of just 27,000 tons, compared to 183,000 tons last year. The forecasted losses would be in stark contrast to record 2021 harvests in the region, following a similar pattern of drought-related declines in olive oil production across Europe. Metidieri warned that such a sharp fall in production risks provoking an equally sharp reduction in employment in Extremadura’s olive sector as significantly fewer workers would be required at all stages from harvesting and transforming to bottling, canning, labeling and transportation of end products. He also warns that the forecast may even be optimistic, given that it does not consider the potential for further heatwaves and drought between now and the start of the harvest in the autumn. Losses could be even more significant if such conditions continue. Production from super-high-density olive farms is expected to be somewhat less affected than that of traditional groves, providing some minor economic relief. However, this has also stoked fears that this modern cultivation method, well-known for its high environmental impact, will further increase its competitive advantage. In response to the forecast losses, the organization has called on regional and national government organizations to introduce direct aid and tax exemption schemes to address the agricultural sector’s current crisis, particularly concerning the problems caused by drought and the war in Ukraine. Metidieri described the current aid as “insufficient.” APAG Extremadura Asaja APAG Extremadura Asaja
As the summer unfolds, more wildfires burn across Croatia. The latest blazes have engulfed a 2,500-tree olive grove near the northern Dalmatian town of Polača. “It was terrible. Shocking,” said Josip Kulaš, 50, who owns the grove and produces olive oil at OPG Kulaš with his family. Kulaš first saw the fire rapidly approaching his olive trees through the window of his house. Without hesitating, he went to the scene with his 76-year-old father, Milo Kulaš. Firefighters from Polača and the surrounding towns soon arrived. “They put out the fire with superhuman efforts,” Kulaš said. The fire spread from the neighboring, privately-owned, abandoned plot of land with forest and low vegetation growing. However, the flames quickly crossed onto Kulaš’s property and began to engulf his trees, spreading from one canopy to the next. Before it was extinguished, the fire burned through a row of 200 Cypressina trees and damaged between 300 and 350 trees in the olive grove. “Fortunately, there is no dry grass in the olive grove, so extinguishing it was much easier,” a firefighter said. Kulaš, who also owns a small accounting firm, decided to plant an organic olive grove 15 years ago and received 10 hectares of state land in a 50-year loan. “From the beginning, we did everything according to the rules of the profession,” he said. Along with him and his father, other family members are involved in the business, including his mother, Stoja, wife, Suzana, and daughters, Antonija and Valentina. The family’s olive oil business is a vital part of their livelihood. They expected to produce at least 8,500 liters of oil from this year’s harvest with plans to sell to customers in Istria and Slovenia. His Faustina brand – produced with Oblica, Leccino and Pendolino olives – has won various domestic and international awards. “We will miss the oil from the fruits of the burned trees,” he said. Fortunately, the fruit and the trees in his olive grove were insured, so part of the damage, estimated at more than HRK 100,000 (€13,370), will be compensated. This is the sixth year in a row that the Kulaš family has insured the olive grove using subsidies from the Rural Development Program (Measure 17), which is guaranteed by the Ministry of Agriculture for the insurance of crops, animals and plants. “In our case, the annual insurance policy costs HRK 36,388 (€4,866). Of this, our OPG pays HRK 10,000 (€1,337) or 30 percent, and the Agency for Payments in Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development within the Ministry of Agriculture pays the other HRK 25,472 (€3,406) or 70 percent,” Kulaš said. He recommends that other farmers insure their crops and agricultural infrastructure. After the experts determine the total amount of damage, Kulaš and his family will begin the restoration of the burned olive grove. They will remove all the damaged parts of the trees, starting with the leaves, outermost branches, secondary or skeletal branches, trunk and roots, depending on the degree of damage. In the case of the most severely damaged trees, they will remove the entire tree and plant new ones.
Following predictions of record harvest losses in Italy and Spain, France Olive has warned that this year’s extreme weather events are likely to result in 50 percent losses for the olive harvest in France as well. According to data from the International Olive Council, France produced 4,600 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, which was also marked by several climatic challenges. France Olive said 2022 has been marked by record heat and drought in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, which accounts for more than 60 percent of French olive oil production. The organization added that this summer’s heatwaves “follow one another and have had frequent adverse effects on production.” Although the olive tree is particularly resistant to heat and drought, water plays a crucial role in certain stages of the plant’s life cycle. The tree is forced to sacrifice elements of its normal biological processes to survive a drought, thereby saving available resources. “[France has] had exceptionally hot years before, but this is different,” said Laurent Bélorgey, a producer and the president of France Olive. “The drought occurred at the time of flowering. only 20 percent of our crops in France are irrigated. This is the first time we’ve seen [drought] happen on this scale.” France had the driest July ever recorded, and the summer has already seen three heatwaves. Additionally, the sweltering and dry summer has been made worse by a lack of snow that fell in the Alps during the winter, as meltwater forms a significant part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur’s water supply. According to the European Commission, about half of the European Union is currently facing a drought risk due to the prolonged absence of rainfall, raising fears of significant harvest losses across multiple sectors, with traditional rain-fed olive groves, particularly at risk.
According to researchers from the University of Córdoba and Ecuador’s Technical University of Manabí, the expansion of olive groves in Andalusia is impacting the habitat of the already scarce populations of Eurasian great bustard and little bustard. In a research article published in Bird Conservation International, the team evaluated the percentage of different land uses between 2000 and 2018 using data from the Corine Land Cover inventory, a pan-European satellite land survey database, concerning the birds’ natural habitats and known ranges. They found that over this period, new olive groves occupied 2.14 percent and 2.61 percent of the Andalusian range of the Eurasian great bustard and little bustard, respectively. Though previously widespread throughout Eurasia, from the British Isles to China, some 60 percent of the surviving population of the great bustard is now confined to the Iberian peninsula. The little bustard has suffered a similar fate. Once breeding as far north as Poland, it has become extinct in its former central-European range over the past few decades. All bustards are naturally grassland and steppe birds but are well-suited to open arable farmland. It is the conversion of such farmland to olive groves and other woody cropland that the authors believe may threaten the species’ future, not only because of overall habitat reduction but also because of habitat fragmentation. Though capable of flying vast distances, bustards are primarily ground-dwelling and feed by foraging on vegetation and insects. Iberian flocks of the great bustard, in particular, appear to migrate only very rarely, and even then for relatively short distances in response to extremes of temperature. Therefore, “these changes in landscape configuration suggest a decline in both habitat availability and habitat quality for steppe birds that could affect their distribution and population size,” the researchers wrote. “This article accurately shows the impact of habitat loss in cereal agrosystems in favor of woody crops, in this case, olive groves,” said José Eugenio Gutiérrez, a delegate of SEO/BirdLife in Andalusia and head of the Life Olivares Vivos+ project. “It exposes the effect of this habitat loss on the great bustard and the little bustard, something we already knew, but to which this interesting scientific work puts figures.” “Although the expansion of olive groves in the last two decades has not been so important quantitatively. it has been qualitatively because it has occurred at the expense of farmland [previously] dedicated to cereal crops and has had an impact on the loss and fragmentation of habitat that has added to that accumulated over previous decades,” he added. Of particular concern to conservation groups such as SEO/BirdLife is the authors’ observation that “no differences were found in the proportion of new olive groves planted inside and outside of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) from 2000 to 2018, specifically designated to conserve these steppe birds.” “This leads us to think that conservation policy should be reviewed and improved to prevent changes in land use from being detrimental to different species,” they added. In response to this and other studies, both SEO/BirdLife and the Life Olivares Vivos+ project have made numerous recommendations to regional, national, and E.U. government bodies regarding the need to consider the habitats of steppe species when creating agricultural and environmental policy. Discussing the implications for the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Gutiérrez affirmed his belief that “to conserve our natural heritage (and, as we are seeing, to improve our food independence), stopping this transformation of farmland into woody cropland or solar photovoltaic plants is a top priority that must go through adequate strategic planning at the territorial level, and compliance with the environmental objectives of the new CAP.” “Biodiversity conservation cannot fall entirely on t...
Rising prices at origin and demand have bolstered the olive oil sector in Spain for much of the past year. However, the last few weeks have yielded headlines that may temper some of the recent optimism. Earlier this month, Deoleo reported that its profits in the first half of the year plummeted 57 percent compared to the first half of 2021. The world’s largest olive oil bottler recorded a €6 million profit until June 2022, dropping from €14 million in the first half of the previous year. “In the complex context that exists worldwide, [Deoleo] has not only had to face the normalization of consumption associated with the end of the global health crisis but also the increase of the prices of raw materials and the tensions suffered in the supply chain caused by the war in Ukraine or the transport strike in Spain,” the company explained in a statement to local media. While Deoleo and its portfolio of brands will be just fine – plenty of other financial indicators from EBITDA to net financial debt point to this – some of the underlying trends that led to the company’s reduction in profits should concern other producers in Spain. The normalization of consumption is at the top of this list. During the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, olive oil consumption boomed in Spain as strict lockdowns led people to spend more time cooking at home. Lockdowns in Spain started in March 2020 and lasted until May 2021. During this time, Spanish olive oil consumption jumped to 521,600 tons in the 2019/20 crop year and 537,800 tons during 2020/21, the highest totals since 2013/14. However, consumption slumped to 510,000 tons in the 2021/22 crop year, the first full crop year with no lockdowns and the resumption of normal service at restaurants. Consumer surveys in the United States – the second-largest olive oil consumer after the European Union and a significant importer of Spanish olive oil – have also indicated that after two years of cooking at home, consumers feel “drained.” More than one-third of respondents added that their patience in the kitchen is at an “all-time low.” Along with signs of slumping consumption, Deoleo highlighted rising costs as another reason profits were down. These rising production costs run the gamut from energy to glass bottles. According to European Union data, fuel and energy costs for businesses have more than doubled since the start of 2021, with a significant increase in energy prices attributed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Olive growers and oil producers use energy for every facet of the olive oil production process, from the electricity or generator fuel to run their mills to the gas and diesel that power tractors, water pumps and other harvesting machines. Data from the European Central Bank also shows that the price of glass has steadily increased over the past decade, with the increase becoming more pronounced in the past 12 months. Since September 2021, the price of glass has risen by 16 percent in the European Union. By comparison, glass prices rose by just 14.6 percent between 1995 and 2021. Similarly, the rising prices of fertilizer, pesticides and replacement parts for tractors and milling equipment have cut into producers’ bottom lines, not only in Spain but across the rest of the olive oil-producing world as well. Dozens of producers interviewed by Olive Oil Times since the beginning of 2022 said they had so far tried not to pass these prices on to consumers. However, they warned that may change if production costs do not start to decline. On top of rising production costs, producers in Spain are also facing a crippling drought which has paired back production expectations to just 1 million tons in the 2022/23 crop year. If these predictions are borne out, the current crop year would be the worst one experienced by Spain since 2014/15 when the country produced just 842,200 tons of olive oil. While the earliest days of the harvest are about two months away, and timely rainfall between n...
Producers and bottlers in Andalusia exported more than €1.3 million of olive oil in the first five months of 2022, an increase of 22.7 percent compared with the same period in 2021, according to data from Extenda. The public export and foreign investment company found that Andalusian exports account for about 74 percent of all Spanish olive oil exports by value in the first half of 2022. Extenda added that 61 percent of those exports comprised extra virgin olive oil. Rising olive oil export values have been part of a trend in Andalusia’s wider agricultural sector. The significant increase has helped fuel the autonomous community’s positive trade balance, which has seen exports outpace imports by more than €1 billion so far this year. Overall, Andalusia has exported more than €18 billion worth of goods and products, representing 31 percent year-on-year growth and reaching the highest level since standardized data began to be collected in 1995. The positive trade figures from the first half of 2022 follow the southern autonomous community’s strong performance in the previous year. Local media hailed 2021 as a record year, with Analdusia exporting more than €21 billion in the first nine months of the year. Once again, olive oil exports led the way but were closely followed by exports of other fruit, vegetables, legumes and animal and vegetable oils. Rafael Pico Lapuente, the executive director of the Spanish Association of Olive Oil Exporting, Industry and Commerce (Asoliva), said a similar uptick in olive oil exports by value had also been recorded in the rest of Spain. He told Olive Oil Times that the increases in exports by value were mostly the result of rising prices at origin. Lapuente added that national olive oil exports by volume fell by 16 percent in the first quarter of 2022 and were down by 6 percent in the first half of the year. Another factor contributing to rising prices may be the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led to a spike in the prices of sunflower oil, providing olive oil producers a better chance to compete at favorable prices. “The price of sunflower oil has increased notably, and the difference between the two is smaller,” Lapuente said. “The consumer, aware of the benefits of consuming olive oil, has decided to buy olive oil instead of sunflower oil.” Data from Extenda indicated that seven of the top 10 export destinations for Andalusian olive oil experienced “significant growth,” defined as an increase of more than 19 percent. Italy remained the leading market for Andalusian olive oil, importing €359 million in the first five months of the year, a 28.5-percent increase compared to the same period in 2021. The United States remained the second-largest market for Andalusian olive oil, importing €261 million from January to May, a 38-percent increase. Lapuente attributed Andalusia’s strengthening position in the U.S. market to the five-year suspension of tariffs imposed by the U.S. on some Spanish olive oil exports as a result of the trade dispute about subsidies to U.S. and European Union aircraft manufacturers. CountryValue% IncreaseItaly€359 million28.5United States€261 million38Portugal€130 million–France€93 million40United Kingdom€42 million72China€39 million19.7Japan€38 million0.7Germany€35 million94Australia€31 million4.1Mexico€29.3 million46 Extenda data indicated that Germany is the fastest growing market for Andalusian olive oils, with a 94 percent increase in the first five months of 2022, importing €35 million. The United Kingdom was the second fastest growing market, experiencing a 72 percent increase after importing €42 million. Lapuente attributed this increase to a post-Brexit recovery of trading relations between Spain and the U.K. since the latter formally left the E.U. in January 2020. However, he added that olive oil exports to the U.K. remained well below pre-Brexit levels. Outside of the traditional European and North American markets, Andalusian olive oil exports by value ...
The Italian Antitrust Authority (AGCM) has prohibited the use of Nutri-Score front-of-pack labels on dozens of products currently sold in Italy. The AGMC’s latest measures prohibit Nutri-Score ratings from being added to Italian food products with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certification from the European Union. As a result of the AGCM’s decision, retailers have 90 days to remove affected products with Nutri-Score rating on their labels from their shelves. While some food producers and smaller chains have decided to drop all Nutri-Score ratings altogether, larger multinational chains will continue to shelve non-prohibited products with the Nutri-Score ratings. However, the AGCM also stipulated that any product with a Nutri-Score rating must be accompanied by a sign with a QR code, which the authority argues will allow shoppers to learn more about Nutri-Score and its algorithm calculates the scores. Nutri-Score uses a traffic-light-style label to rate food based on 100-gram or milliliter samples. It considers the food item’s calorie, fat, sugar and salt content. Foods are labeled with one of five colors and letters on a scale ranging from the healthiest “Green A” down to the “Red E.” The AGCM said it made its decision to “correctly inform consumers” about the nutritional information and cultural context of certain food items that are not taken into account by Nutri-Score’s algorithm. “[The decision] is also aimed at raising awareness in the food sector about the nature and the workings of the parameters upon which the voluntarily-adopted label is based,” the authority added. Confagricoltura, a farmers’ association, celebrated the decision as a significant victory against the more widespread adoption of Nutri-Score. The association’s lawyers brought the case that resulted in the partial ban in front of the AGCM after accusing Nutri-Score of over-simplifying nutrition and hurting consumers. “The AGCM decision represents a step forward for the right of the consumer to be correctly and fully informed to make his or her choices about food and health,” said Massimo Giansanti, Confagricoltura’s president. He added that Nutri-Score ratings should be replaced with those of the rival Nutrinform Battery, which shows the energy intake of the products as well as their nutritional values using a battery graphic. However, some research has indicated that Nutri-Score is more effective than Nutrinform Battery, which critics have argued is counterintuitive and “clumsy.”
The European Commission is stepping up measures to cope with the severe drought, which is concerning farmers and reducing crop yields across the continent. Reduced volumes of available water for irrigation are significantly affecting staple crops, including olives, in countries such as Italy, Portugal and Spain. However, the effects of the drought on agriculture have spread well beyond the confines of southern Europe. It also has impacted France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. As a result, Brussels has published new guidelines paving the way for the widespread use of treated urban wastewater in agriculture. The guidelines build on already agreed upon measures that should have come into force soon, such as the water reuse regulation, which sets “uniform minimum water quality requirements for the safe reuse of treated urban wastewater in agricultural irrigation.” Besides asking member countries to push water management to the top of their agendas, the guidelines also set out minimum monitoring requirements, risk management rules to assess possible health and environmental hazards and rules for project and funding transparency. The document also includes suggested interventions for several crops and validation monitoring protocols. For example, the guidelines recommend that table olive producers only use advanced drip irrigation techniques. While being heralded as part of an ongoing European water management strategy, the new guidelines are meant to bring relief at a very challenging moment. According to the European Drought Monitor, the continent’s “severe” drought continues to expand and become worse. The group added that competition for water was beginning earlier than usual, and reduced crop yields are expected. “Freshwater resources are scarce and increasingly under pressure,” said Virginijus Sinkevičius, the E.U.’s environment, fisheries and oceans commissioner. “In times of unprecedented temperature peaks, we need to stop wasting water and use this resource more efficiently to adapt to the changing climate and ensure the security and sustainability of our agricultural supply,” he added. “Today’s guidelines can help us do just that and secure the safe circulation, across the E.U., of food products grown with reclaimed water.” During its introduction of the guidelines, the commission said uniform minimum requirements would boost consumer confidence and ensure the single marker for agricultural produce functioned properly. The commission added that the use of treated wastewater would contribute to the E.U. goal of reducing food systems’ environmental footprint and increasing the resilience of the continent’s farmers.
A significant update to the Nutri-Score algorithm will improve the rating of some grades of olive oil, including extra virgin olive oil. The revised rating system will soon consider all olive oils in its Light-green-B category, a step above the current Yellow-C and just one step below the healthiest rating, the Green-A. Its backers said the French-born front-of-pack-labeling (FOPL) system had undergone a broad review in the last 18 months, which set the basis for a significant overhaul of the algorithm. The new ratings will affect several different categories of food. “Yes, the Nutri-Score algorithm will be changed in the near future,” Serge Hercberg, the creator of Nutri-Score and nutrition professor at the University of Sorbonne Paris Nord, told Olive Oil Times. The updated rating of fats, such as olive oil and vegetable oils, will consider their macro-nutritional composition, such as the presence of saturated fatty acids. “In general, vegetable oils are improved by one [rating],” Hercberg said. “Vegetable oils with low levels of saturated fatty acids, such as rapeseed, walnut and oleic sunflower oil, can reach the B classification, as does olive oil. Sunflower oil is shifted to the C classification.” “For the other products in the category, the classification remains unchanged, with coconut oil and butter remaining classified as E in the Nutri-Score,” he added. Nutri-Score is a five-color-letter food rating system, with scores ranging from the Green-A down to the Red-E. The FOPL is designed to help consumers make healthier choices in the supermarket. The algorithm determines a food item’s score based on the macronutrient content per 100 grams or milliliters. “Nutri-Score is a public health tool built and validated by numerous scientific studies,” Hercberg said. “When it was proposed by scientists in 2014. it was expected that its algorithm would evolve and be regularly revised on the basis of the evolution of scientific knowledge and the experience of its deployment.” Along with its introduction in France, Germany, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland, Nutri-Score is also considered the front-runner among the food labels being considered for Europen Union-wide adoption. A formal decision is expected to come before the end of the year. The steering committee, formed at the beginning of last year by the seven European countries that have adopted Nutri-Score, announced the review of the FOPL’s algorithm. Its goal is to facilitate the debate on Nutri-Score, support food producers in using and understanding Nutri-Score and support the work of the scientific branch. The scientific committee, which was tasked with developing and implementing the labeling platform, presented the report on the update. The update rebalances how the algorithm considers the food’s nutritional elements. In the case of olive oil, its polyphenols and other micronutrients are taken into consideration. The updated algorithm also changes how nuts, seeds and other fats are rated, with a special rule for red meat. More specifically, Nutri-Score now gives higher priorities to elements such as sodium and sugar and will align red meat ratings with the countries’ nutritional guidelines, many of which recommend reducing red meat consumption. The update will also improve the rating for fish and wholegrains compared to refined products. “Overall, the analysis of the literature showed that there was substantial evidence of the beneficial effect of olive oil on the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, with a significant number of studies being performed,” the report’s authors wrote. “Given the evidence that vegetable oils, in particular olive oil, have demonstrated beneficial effects on health, modifications to the algorithm could be performed to improve the scoring of olive and other vegetable oils with favorable nutrient profiles in the system and support dietary guidelines that advocate the moderate use o...
Despite the steady rise of olive oil prices in the European Union, the latest data from the bloc’s short-term agricultural outlook report indicate that consumption also continues to rise. According to the report, the 2021/22 crop year is set to finish with an 11-percent increase in olive oil consumption in the bloc’s main producing countries. In the other E.U. member states, consumption is expected to remain at the same levels as in previous years. The commission cited growing demand from households and the recovery of the foodservice sector as the main drivers increasing olive oil sales. During much of 2020 and 2021, extra virgin olive oil sales to restaurants fell significantly as countries across the continent sporadically plunged in and out of lockdowns. Rising consumption in the E.U. comes on the heels of a strong 2021 harvest, with the bloc’s main producers combining to yield 2.3 million tons, an 11-percent increase compared with the previous year. The European Commission attributed the production increase to a 7-percent increase in olives harvested and a 6-percent increase in oil yields from the olives. In Spain, the world’s largest olive oil-producing country by a wide margin, the amount of olives harvested dropped by 9 percent in the 2021/22 crop year compared with the previous one. However, the oil yield was 17-percent higher. In Greece, Europe’s third-largest producer, the olive yield increased by 54 percent but the oil content fell by 33 percent. The result was a 16-percent production drop. Meanwhile, Portuguese growers and producers reaped 59-percent more olives in 2021/22 and a 21 percent increase in oil yields. The result was a record-breaking harvest of 230,000 tons of olive oil. Along with production and consumption, olive oil prices in the E.U. are also increasing. The commission said the current uncertainty in the global edible oils market due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine was among the reasons for the 16-percent rise in olive oil prices for consumers. “After an initial shock caused by the Russian invasion to Ukraine in March, E.U. olive oil prices slightly relaxed but remain still well-above the 5-year average,” the report said. Prices in Greece and Spain have increased significantly, rising by 16 and 19 percent above the 5-year average. “These prices are likely to remain high due to sustained high input and transportation costs, and the high prices of other oils and fats,” the report said. In the next few months, the commission expects olive oil prices to remain high due to a combination of continued economic uncertainty in the sector paired with a dip in production in 2022. Spain and Italy are reporting a significant drop in water for irrigation, which will likely lower olive yields. Meanwhile, producers in Portugal anticipate a slight decrease in 2022 as many of its groves enter an off-year in the natural bearing cycle of the olive tree. However, the situation is expected to be slightly better in Greece, where production is expected to rebound after a disappointing 2021 harvest.
The European Union has expanded the territory of the Monte Etna PDO in Sicily, allowing more growers, millers and bottlers to label their extra virgin olive oil with the geographical indicator. Previously, only 18 Sicilian municipalities located on the western slope of Europe’s tallest active volcano were eligible for the Protected Designation of Origin certification. Our extra virgin olive oil is the son of a wonderfully unstable territory. Etna is an active volcano and that envelops olive growing in feelings and biodiversity which are completely unique.– Giosué Catania, president, Monte Etna PDO Consortium “It took us almost 10 years to have the certification include the full territory of another 25 municipalities on the eastern side of Mount Etna,” Giosué Catania, president of the Monte Etna PDO Consortium, told Olive Oil Times. According to the consortium, the new rules expand the potential production area of the Monte Etna PDO from 750,000 olive trees on 5,500 hectares to more than one million on 7,300 hectares. As a result, the number of farms and producers potentially affected by the change will rise from 4,500 to approximately 5,800. “If we are talking about the potential PDO extra virgin olive oil production, we estimate that under the new rules, it could reach between 1.5 and 1.8 million liters and an overall turnover of €15 to €17 million,” Catania said. While the PDO area is now significantly larger, not all farms and companies will necessarily be interested in following the steps necessary to receive the Mont Etna PDO certification. “Under the old criteria, we have 46 members in the production chain with approximately 200 hectares of certified production area and more than 45,000 liters of certified PDO production,” Catania said. One of the challenges producers in the Monte Etna PDO area faced when trying to adhere to the old criteria or to retain their status as PDO-certified producers has been climate change, which has impacted the acidity levels of their extra virgin olive oils. More specifically, it has slightly increased linoleic and linolenic average acidity. Such phenomenon is expressly cited by the E.U.-approved new disciplinary. “These two markers need to be changed because a growing number of batches of oil from the area covered by the Monte Etna Protected Designation of Origin have failed to obtain certification in recent years due to having a higher linoleic acid and linolenic acid content than the values currently set in the product specification,” the E.U. wrote. “Studies show that this is linked to the increase in average temperatures and the significant drop in rainfall that has taken place in recent years, altering the acidity profile of Monte Etna oil,” they added. Therefore, the maximum levels of both acids have been raised with the new rules. As a result, acceptable linoleic acidity rose from a maximum of 10 percent to 13.5 percent and linolenic from 0.8 percent to 0.9 percent. “Of course, it does not affect in any way the quality of the resulting extra virgin olive oil and both levels are way below those found in many other PDOs disciplinary,” Catania said. The most relevant consequence of such changes is the opportunity that they open up for more local producers to add value to their extra virgin olive oils and market them as Monte Etna PDO. Monte Etna PDO is an extra virgin olive oil primarily made from the Nocellara Etnea variety, which must constitute at least 65 percent of the total volume, according to the PDO rules. Among the most interesting characteristics of those trees are their larger-than-average yields and the possibility to grow them at higher altitudes. “We live in a mountainous territory, and that means growing olives at 900 or even 1,000 meters above sea level in a sunny breezy and proper Mediterranean climate, which adds to the identity of this product,” Catania said. “Our extra virgin olive oil is the son of a wonderfully unstable territory,” he added. “Etna is an active...
The Greek national interprofessional association of table olives (Doepel) has rejected the ruling of the country’s Council of State, which stipulated that only olive producers of the Kalamon variety based in Messenia are allowed to use the term ‘Kalamata Olives’ to market their olives. The court repealed a ministerial decree of 2018, which had effectively enabled producers of Kalamon olives from across Greece to also promote their Kalamon olives under the ‘Kalamata’ name, similarly to their counterparts in Messenia. The court’s decision endangers the commercial future of the country’s primary agricultural product export.– Doepel, “With regard to the 1149/2022 decision of the Council. the administrative board of the national Doepel. expresses its disappointment since the recorded devastating consequences and immeasurable damage inflicted on Greek table olive producers, manufacturers and exporters were not taken into consideration,” the interprofessional wrote in a letter sent to Olive Oil Times “The court’s decision endangers the commercial future of the country’s primary agricultural product export, which has been exported since 1930 in quantities surpassing 73,000 tons and a value exceeding €220 million annually,” the interprofessional added. Doepel said Greece’s exports of Kalamon/Kalamata table olives are expected to increase to 120,000 tons per annum due to the increasing number of new olive trees planted, mainly in the regions of Aetolia-Acarnania, Laconia and Fthiotida. The interprofessional also analyzed the reasons it dismisses the court’s decision and considers it harmful to the country’s table olives sector. “Greek exporting companies, including those based in Messenia, are destined for disaster [after the court’s ruling] since they will be blocked from international markets where their products are known under the variety name ‘Kalamata olives,’” they wrote. “The olive producers of the specific variety, particularly those in Aetolia-Acarnania, Laconia and Fthiotida, who account for 90 percent [of the overall national production], are also headed towards a dead-end,” the interprofessional added. The association asserted that a gap would form in the international market for olives due to the inability of Greek producers to export their Kalamon/Kalamata olives, with the possibility of other table olive-producing nations filling the opening. “A Greek product cannot be exported to international markets, while third countries which have obtained olive tree samplings from Greece can freely export their olives as ‘Kalamata Olives,” they wrote. The association added that other countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Peru, Australia and South Africa, will take the lead in big markets such as the United States and Canada, which account for 35 percent of Greek Kalamon/Kalamata olive exports. Furthermore, Doepel claimed that the promotion of Kalamon olives produced outside of Messenia as ‘Kalamata Olives’ in no way affects the subsequent extra gain of Messenian producers from the Protected Designation of Origin quality label their olives bear. “The producers and exporters of Messenia can trade their olives according to the accreditation they have received, which also demarcates the geographical location of the product,” the letter said. In 1996, a PDO certification was approved by the European Union for Kalamon olives produced exclusively in the Messenia region. “Exports of the Kalamon/Kalamata olives, which began in 1930, have long preceded the accreditation of olives of Messenian origin with the ‘PDO Elia Kalamatas’ label,” the association said. The interprofessional also wrote that the Greek state has become part of the deadlock “by forcing the country’s olive exporters in 1954 to label their Kalamon olives as ‘Kalamata’ and mistakenly registering the name of an olive variety [Kalamata] as PDO without considering the repercussions.” On the other hand, Messenian producers argue that the court’s ruling placed them at their right...
Research from Noto Sondaggi and Coldiretti shows that 72 out of 100 Italians plan to visit one or more farmhouses this summer. Farmhouses offer the opportunity for leisurely meals in picturesque surroundings and the ability for visitors to experience traditional agricultural and food production activities. The immense popularity of visiting these agritourism businesses also does not come as a surprise. According to the research, one-third of Italians said they would like to be involved with farmhouses. Slightly more than 20 million Italians said they would start their own farmhouse given the right conditions. The researchers also suggest that the immense popularity of farmhouses is indicative of the growing interest in the farmer-chef phenomenon, where high-profile chefs are committed to promoting local traditional food specialties. Away from food and nature, other reasons cited for farmhouse vacations are the need to relax, avoid crowded environments and participate in outdoor sports and activities. Coldiretti said farmhouse restaurant operations grew two percent in 2021, compared to 2019, despite periodic closures as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Recent research carried out by the Italian Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (Ismea) found that there are now 25,060 licensed farmhouses in Italy. Of this total, 82 percent offer overnight stays, while 62 percent have a restaurant. Nearly one-third of registered farmhouses also organize tasting activities for their local products. Ismea said farmhouses have become ambassadors for traditional regional recipes and products, such as extra virgin olive oil and wine, allowing visitors to taste and learn about these products’ stories. Recent support for farmhouses has also come from Italy’s oleotourism law, which is meant to develop new touristic opportunities akin to what previous legislation achieved for the Italian wine sector. The rising interest in starting farmhouses has also led the Sicilian Parliamentary Assembly to review its bureaucratic procedures to found one of these establishments. The stated goal of the assembly is to make it more simple for farmers to open restaurants, tasting rooms and hospitality accommodations. The decision is likely to be greeted with approval from local farmers, especially since Sicily is the leading domestic vacation destination for Italians. One of the drivers of farmhouse tourism is also the high number of Italians who do not plan to travel internationally during their vacations. A recent survey from TouringClub found that 73 percent of respondents plan to take their upcoming summer vacations in Italy in 2022. Coldiretti said that two of the main reasons for the growing success of farmhouses are the ability to book accommodation and make reservations at the last minute and the location of many of them in non-traditional tourist locations, allowing visitors to avoid more crowded areas. The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) has also taken notice of the ongoing changes in the Italian touristic preferences, with its southern branch in Campania announcing a recent partnership with Terranostra to create a network of sport-friendly farmhouses. According to local media reports, 20 farmhouses have participated in specialized CONI/Coldiretti workshops to refine their sport-related offers, and new workshops are planned in autumn. The project is part of a broader effort by the two entities to promote the Mediterranean diet as a crucial contributor to a healthy life.
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Olive oil producers in California celebrated a record year at the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition. Forty-one farmers and millers from the Golden State, which is responsible for virtually all olive oil production in the United States, combined to earn a record-high 88 of the industry’s most coveted quality awards. Of these, 52 awards were won by members of the California Olive Oil Council, a trade association that represents more than 300 growers and producers. Shaana Rahman, the president of the group’s board of directors and co-owner of Boccabella Farms, told Olive Oil Times that the state’s growing success in the competition may be partially attributed to its exceptionally high standards for extra virgin olive oil production. Most of the world adheres to the extra virgin olive oil definition set out in the Codex Alimentarius, which stipulates its free fatty acid content expressed as oleic acid must be less than 0.8 grams per 100 grams. In California, the free fatty acid content is limited to 0.5 grams per 100 grams, the strictest olive oil quality standard in the world. “When California olive oil producers can compete with and shine amidst international olive oil producers, it tells us that California’s standard for extra virgin olive. has had the direct effect of making olive oil produced in California, not only some of the finest in the world but also a product that consumers can trust,” Rahman said. However, she also believes California’s record success at the world’s largest olive oil quality competition can be attributed to a bountiful harvest, skilled millers and better infrastructure. “Luckily, crop volumes were good in 2021 and based on accounts from members, the quality of the olives harvested was exceptional,” Rahman said. “Great looking fruit, strict adherence to COOC’s rigorous standards to meet certification, skilled olive oil millers and proper post-production handling all directly led to 24 of our members winning a total of 52 awards,” she added. Rahman and Boccabella Farms earned three Gold Awards at the competition. She said that sustained success at the en-why-eye, oh, oh see is especially gratifying for small producers. “As small producers, doing everything from maintaining the orchard to putting labels on our bottles, it is really gratifying to have our olive oil recognized in such a competitive judging process,” she said. “We put such a tremendous amount of time and effort into crafting our olive oil, tasting and testing it at every step of the process, that intuitively we know when we have an award-winning olive oil,” Rahman added. “But we have an unspoken pact that we won’t say that out loud, lest we ‘jinx’ it.” Three more of the 52 awards earned by C-O-O-C members went to Pamela and Stuart Marvel, co-owners of Grumpy Goats Farm. “Stuart and I couldn’t agree on a name for our farm and fussed and fussed over it until we hit on naming it after ourselves: the grumpy old goats,” Marvel told Olive Oil Times. Situated in Capay, California, just outside the state capital, Grumpy Goats Farm earned two Gold Awards and a Silver Award. Marvel said the awards continue to validate their efforts to produce high-quality olive oil. “To get such recognition from the renowned NYIOOC was a huge confirmation to us that we continue somehow to do the right things – or enough of them – to produce good oil,” she said. “We have a multitude of repeat customers that we attribute to the notoriety that en-why-eye, oh, oh see competitions have given us.” Marvel attributed their success to hard work and astute decision-making. “We try to give our trees what they need to grow well and make key decisions at the right time during the harvest, milling and bottling cycles,” she said. However, she acknowledged that a tight labor market in the previous harvest presented quite a challenge. Meanwhile, the state’s ongoing drought...
A new study confirmed that under certain conditions, the addition of olive leaves in the olive extraction process might enhance the overall polyphenol content and sensory profile of the resulting extra virgin olive oil. According to the research published in Food Chemistry, the combined extraction of olives and olive leaves in a laboratory environment introduced chemical and organoleptic changes to the extra virgin olive oil, which are different from those previously observed in an industrial setting. “We began working by modifying specific parameters of the extraction process, such as temperature, time, addition or not of water,” Ítala Marx, a researcher at the Instituto Politécnico de Bragança and University of Porto and co-author of the research, told Olive Oil Times. “The following step was to co-extract olive oil with natural sources of phenolic compounds,” she added. “In this study, we analyzed the impact of the addition of 1 percent fresh olive leaves, co-extracted with Arbequina olives.” The researchers decided on adding 1 percent of fresh olive leaves after observing that a small but undefined quantity of leaves ends up in the extraction process in most large-volume milling operations. “From there, our team wanted to investigate what actually happens to the olive oil when such incorporation happens, in terms of sensory attributes, quality parameters, phenolic contents, volatile compounds,” Marx said. The results of the experiment, which was conducted using a small-scale Abencor system, show that the resulting olive oil offers a significant improvement in sensory attributes — but reduced polyphenolic contents and volatiles — compared to olive oil produced solely from olives without the presence of any leaves. However, previous research from the same academic team in an industrial setting demonstrated an improvement in sensory attributes and an increase in polyphenols, compared to olive oil produced solely from olives without the presence of any leaves. “We attribute such different results to the different conditions of the two studies,” Marx said. “In an industrial setting, for instance, we were able to control operating temperature during the malaxation process, set at 22 ºC for 45 minutes, while in the lab setting, we had a 30 °C temperature during the malaxation process. And we also had different operational times.” “In the industrial-scale research, with the same percentage of fresh leaves added to the process, we obtained olive oil which is rich both in phenolic contents than in volatile compounds,” she added. “In the Abencor laboratory-scale research, we have seen that olive oils extracted without leaves would have maintained a higher amount of the main phenolic contents, which did not happen on the industrial scale research.” In the industrial scale experiment, recently published in the European Food Research and Technology journal, the researchers incorporated the 1 percent fresh leaves before the crushing process so that the contents were crushed together, obtaining particles of equal dimensions. That did not happen in the Abencor system experiment, where the processed contents were reduced to smaller sizes using a small chopping machine. “In such case, the surface contact is wider because the dimension is smaller,” Marx said. “The interaction among contents is therefore higher. Plus, the leaves were added before the malaxation process. So we believe that this is the most relevant difference between the two experiments.” According to the researchers, the improvement to the olive oil derived from adding leaves is probably due to their chemical composition. They have not only a rich phenolic profile but also present enzymes destined to affect final quality. Although, in the lab setting, with the Abencor system, the leaves did not increase the polyphenols and the volatile composition of the resulting olive oil. Both were higher in olive oils processed without leaves. The researchers found that Abencor systems,...
The government of Pakistan has announced a new national action plan to improve yields by modernizing its agricultural sector. New technology in the fields, processing facilities and aquaculture will be deployed to strengthen the related production chains. There is a need to approach communities that are most affected due to climate change. Water scarcity lies in poor water governance in Pakistan.- Imran Khalid, director of governance and policy, World Wildlife Fund Pakistan Mechanization for harvesting and post-harvesting processes will also be provided for by the plan, which will include funds for germplasm resources and fishery science and promote trade and cooperation in agriculture. According to the APP local news agency, the plan includes establishing foot-and-mouth disease-free zones, an intervention to improve livestock health. The official document cited by the local sources falls short of detailing the amount of funds destined for the plan’s specific actions. Instead, it states that expected results for the agricultural sector in the next fiscal year should reach almost 4 percent growth compared to the previous year. However, these results depend on a full recovery of cotton and wheat production and the availability of agrochemical products and seeds. Water scarcity is also cited as a potential drawback for yields. Among the goals of the plan is to reduce costly food imports. According to ProPakistani News, the country is expected to import €8.7 billion in food products by the end of the current fiscal year. Currently, its foreign exchange reserves have dropped to €9.3 billion. Last year, Pakistan reported food imports of €8 billion. One of the biggest concerns for the country’s food production capacity comes from extreme weather events. Pakistan has been suffering a prolonged drought, aggravated by a record-breaking heatwave, which brought many areas of the country over 50 ºC. Dozens of people died from excessive heat, and massive wildfires are sweeping across large areas. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has warned that such events are triggering food and energy shortages, which could impact Pakistan and India, affecting more than one billion people. “Extreme heat has major repercussions for the agricultural sector,” said Sumalee Khosla, UNEP’s climate change adaptation finance expert. “Climate-related heat stress will increase drought and exacerbate water scarcity for irrigation.” “This impacts farming communities and potentially creates further food security issues in affected countries,” she added. In a workshop held in Islamabad, Pakistani officials and religious representatives agreed on the urgency to act against water scarcity. The goal of the workshop was to identify areas of cooperation among different social, institutional and economic actors to reduce water waste and improve infrastructure. One of the most significant issues is the availability of clean drinking water. According to Imran Khalid, director of governance and policy at the local branch of the World Wildlife Fund, “only one percent of wastewater is treated in Pakistan.” “There is a need to approach communities that are most affected due to climate change,” he added. “We have to learn from the communities facing issues in real-time. We have to rely on indigenous practices in rural areas. Water scarcity lies in poor water governance in Pakistan.” In this complex scenario, the current government is continuing the olive growing expansion projects devised by the previous administration. They fit into a broader push to boost edible oil production to reduce imports. According to an olive researcher at the Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), in the last 20 years, several federal and local administrations have supported the olive expans...
The brilliant performance of Greek olive oil producers and bottlers in the tenth edition of the en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition – an impressive tally of 79 awards (45 Gold and 34 Silver) – was felt across the country’s olive oil sector. Yiorgos Economou, the general director of the Greek Association of Olive Oil Bottlers (SEVITEL), attributed the country’s strong showing in the competition to the producers’ diligence and technological advancements. “The decorations of Greek olive oils in the en-why-eye, oh, oh see and other international competitions applaud the effort of the country’s producers and bottlers to select the best raw materials and adhere to the strict regulatory frame of [olive oil] production,” Economou told Olive Oil Times. “They are also proof of the improving technological approaches towards the quality of extra virgin olive oil.” Economou revised the country’s overall olive oil yield down to around 200,000 tons from the expected 225,000 tons, placing the quality of the produced olive oil under the spotlight. “Apart from some problems with the organoleptic characteristics of the olive oils in a few producing territories, we can talk of olive oil of top-notch quality,” he said. “The effort of all involved bodies and agencies to better inform and advise olive growers and producers is continuing to reaffirm the reputation of Greek olive oil at an international level; an olive oil with an intense fruity flavor, natural aromas and no defects,” Economou added. A consensus on a challenging season and the need to accelerate the harvesting and processing of the olives is evident among Greek producers who excelled at the competition this year. Maria Spiliakopoulos, a third-generation producer and the owner of Gold Award winner Oliorama from Ancient Olympia, stressed the importance of a quick and well-coordinated harvesting operation throughout the season. “This year’s challenge was the timing,” Spiliakopoulos told Olive Oil Times. “Harvesting had to be done quickly. The transportation and milling [of the olives] had to be done on the same day, within a few hours of harvest.” Alexis Karabelas of AMG Karabelas, a first-time entrant from Ancient Olympia who earned two Gold Awards, said that the dry weather and the wildfires that broke out in the area last August were the biggest obstacles to repeating a rich olive oil yield. In addition, the season turned out to be more laborious and fast-moving than usual. “This season, the big bet was to keep to the high production standards of the previous 2021/22 crop year,” Karabelas said. “Our harvesting method and the small distance from our olive groves to the family mill, where we were pressing olives every three hours, were the key to a successful production.” A change of plans was also necessary for My Olive Tree, the proud holder of a 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see Gold Award, to withstand the impact of the prevailing weather conditions at the time. “The severe heatwave the country experienced last summer warned us of a low olive oil crop,” co-owner Georgios Karelas said. “Nevertheless, we changed our routine and started harvesting in late October, being able to produce an aromatic olive oil of high flavor complexity.” Karelas added that the weather variations in recent years pose a significant threat to olive oil production, particularly impacting small-scale producers. “A lot has changed since 2014 when we were first awarded at the en-why-eye, oh, oh see,” he said. “The weather has become unpredictable, and our job has become harder. There are a lot of challenges and external factors small olive farm growers have to deal with.” After a harvesting season riddled with torrid weather, producers from Greece embarked with their precious olive oils on their annual journey to the en-why-eye, oh, oh see, where they compete against other world-class extra virgin olive oils from around the world. This year, a record 1,267 olive oils from 28 countries entered the con...
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. For the second consecutive year, Brazilian producers enjoyed a record year at the en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition. Nine producers from the southeastern state of Rio Grande do Sol, four from the mountainous south-central state of Minas Gerais and one from neighboring São Paulo combined to win 30 awards at the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. The 14 producers set records for the number of Gold Awards (26), total awards and entries (35) at the world competition. “The amount of Brazilians sending their oils to the contest just shows how important it is as a marketing tool for customers,” Rafael Marchetti, the chief executive of Prosperato, which earned four Gold Awards, told Olive Oil Times. “They strongly believe in these results as a sign of the real quality of the olive oil.” Sandro Marques, the author of a comprehensive guidebook to Brazilian olive oils, cited three reasons to explain the country’s accelerating success in the World Competition. He believes an increasing knowledge of grove management, a higher level of expertise among millers and more professional olive growers (as opposed to farmers who grow olives as a side crop) have fueled Brazil’s rise in New York. Indeed, since Prosperato won the country’s first en-why-eye, oh, oh see accolade in 2017, the number of awards earned by Brazilian producers has increased each year, with the exception of 2020, when a massive drought in Rio Grande do Sul severely impacted the harvest. The driving force behind Brazil’s largest olive oil producer, Marchetti, attributed Prosperato’s sustained success at the NYIOOC to his decade of experience producing olive oil and consistently undertaking an early harvest. “If we didn’t do it this way, we couldn’t compete with the olive oils at the supermarkets because they are much cheaper, and we know that our products are much more expensive,” he said. “So we had to do it differently, especially because our production is so small and we couldn’t compete in quantity.” As a result, quality is everything for Marchetti, who pushes his employees to harvest as quickly as possible while only selecting the best olives to transform. “I am the miller, so I always try to push people in our harvest to get the best fruit possible, as fast as they can,” Marchetti added. Situated almost evenly between Prosperato’s two olive groves, the producers behind Azeite Pedregais celebrated winning two Gold Awards in their first commercial harvest. “Despite the drought that we had in our state and region, we saw that the quality of the fruit was very good,” co-owner Flavo Fernandes told Olive Oil Times. “On the first day of harvesting the Arbequina and extracting it, we tasted very distinct olive oil, which was confirmed in the following weeks with the Picual.” After Fernandes and his team tasted the two monovarietals, they knew they had something special and wanted to know how they compared to the world’s best. “It seemed a bit illogical to some people, and we were told that we didn’t stand a chance as we were just starting in this world of extra virgin olive oil,” he said. “But to the joy of our family, we won two Gold Awards: a joy and recognition of the work.” Fernandes attributed his success to focusing on growing and harvesting high-quality olives at the precise right moment to transform into oil instead of producing large quantities of the fruit. “The fruits were picked at their best time to balance the fruitiness, spiciness and bitterness,” he said. “We waited for this moment for a few weeks – patience is also part of olive oil production.” Despite this initial success, Fernandes worries that Rio Grande do Sol is becoming increasingly dry and irrigating his olive groves will be necessary. “We had a prolonged drought, which started in the spring of 2021, around September, and lasted until early March,” he said. “We had to irrigate the planta...
After retiring from her position as a senior executive at a large corporation in 2012, Sharon Flanagan returned to her hometown of Eastman, Georgia. The rural town is about three hours south of Atlanta, in the agricultural heart of the state. According to the Dodge County Eastman Development Authority, agriculture is the largest industry in the county. “I knew I wanted to do something that looked nice and would be useful for the community,” Flanagan told Olive Oil Times. “And I had just learned that Georgia had started to grow olives.” So with no previous agricultural experience but a strong work ethic and plenty of determination, Five Otters was born. “I decided to go ahead and clear some of my land and try,” she said. “I wanted to help with promoting the growing of olives.” With the help of Georgia Olive Farms, Flanagan planted her first 14,000 olive tree seedlings on 25 acres (10 hectares) in August 2014. However, the process was far from a smooth one. “I’m not a farmer. I’m not a horticulturist, but I’m learning all of this, and I’m a hard worker,” she said. “One time, most of my orchard had been knocked down [during a hurricane], but I was able to get them stood back up.” Another of the lessons Flanagan quickly learned related to tree positioning. She originally started planting the trees on the hills on her property. While the ones farther up the hill did well, the trees planted at the bottom, where the drainage is worse, the soil is more sandy and cold air sits for longer, eventually had to be removed and replanted. “After about three or four years of battling that, my heart couldn’t take it anymore,” she said. “These trees are not meant to be in this particular soil in the low area.” Despite these initial challenges, Flanagan plans to expand and plant 11,000 more trees on 18.5 acres (7.5 hectares). She harvested her first crop of olives in 2020. Flanagan hired a team to come and handpick the olives, leaving the harvested ones in a custom-made trailer that brought them to a small tractor-trailer refrigerator. Normally when the harvest is completed, she takes the olives down to a medium-sized mill in Lakeland, about two hours south, to be transformed. However, that is not quite how the 2021 harvest turned out. Flanagan said she originally planned to harvest in October but was told by the miller in Lakeland that he would not be in Georgia that month and the harvest would need to be finished before then. Torrential rains in late September complicated the harvest for Flanagan and many other producers in Georgia. The rain made handpicking on the hilly terrain more difficult and prevented some other producers from using machine harvesters in their groves. “This past year was tough,” Flanagan said. “We had to do three separate harvests because of the weather.” The first harvest occurred immediately after the rain stopped, with the pickers starting in the high grounds, from which most of the water had already drained. Once the first batch of olives was harvested, Flanagan immediately sent them down to Lakeland to be milled in her allotted time slot. Originally, she had only been given a one-time slot, but on the last day of milling operations, she was able to squeeze in the second batch. The third batch of olives, which was smaller than the other two, was then transformed in a much smaller mill, which Flanagan co-owns with a friend. “I love when things don’t go right because you learn a lot,” she said. “This past year, not that things went wrong; they just didn’t go as we planned.” Despite these difficulties, Flanagan was still able to send her field blend of Arbequina, Arbosana and Koroneiki olives to the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition. She entered the world’s largest olive oil quality contest because it was one of the business goals she set at the onset of her olive oil production project. “I was interested in getting feedback on how this was working out,” she said. “I also wanted to be able to giv...
Olive oil producers, farmhouses and touristic entities in the provinces of Latina and Frosinone, just south of Rome, are teaming up to promote the region’s olive oil culture and history, which are closely tied to the former Papal States. At a public event in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Francis was presented Olio dei Papi (Popes’ olive oil, in Italian), an extra virgin olive oil that comes from trees grown on land supervised and financed by the Vatican. Producers here have been making world-class extra virgin olive oil for generations, but they never found a good way to connect their product to their story and to narrate their traditions.– Domenico Sperlonga, co-director, Olio dei Papi Several participants in the meeting told Olive Oil Times that Pope Francis thanked his guests for the gift and the historical work behind the Olio dei Papi initiative. “It is allowing us to re-discover the history of the Church,” he said. The Vatican has formally recognized Olio dei Papi as the official supplier to the Vatican State. Ongoing research sent to the Vatican and seen by Olive Oil Times confirmed the important role that olive oil played in Roman culture. Romans used olive oil as food, lubricant, fuel for lamps and cosmetics. However, the trees and fruits were neglected after the collapse of the Roman Empire and during the Middle Ages. During this period, groves were only grown near abbeys, monasteries, and other ecclesiastical lands. This changed during the 18th Century due to a series of reforms that created incentives for olive farmers in central Italy, which the church governed. The goal was to substantially increase local olive oil production, as Rome was often forced to import it from abroad. “In the year 1778, Pope Pio VI introduced a substantial agricultural reform which focused on the development of olive growing,” Martina Bocconi, a city councilwoman in Boville Ernica and co-author of the draft study, told Olive Oil Times. “A high volume of notes from the Apostolic Chamber of that region shows how the chamber strictly monitored the olive tree expansion, providing a Paolo [the currency of the time] as a reward to all olive farmers who planted new trees,” she added. “It also provided even more funds if the new olive groves were planted through land reclamation of unproductive areas.” As a result of the organization and Papal State funding, hundreds of thousands of trees were planted over time in the region historically known as Latium. According to the draft paper, at least 27,000 hectares of Latium were devoted to olive growing in 1813, yielding close to three million kilograms of olives. More than 100 olive oil mills were active in the region. It is believed that 200,000 new olive trees were planted in the State of the Church by 1830. By 1877, the olive farming surface in the Latium region had been expanded to 41,600 hectares. Given the strong relationship between the history of the Papal States and the development of olive growing in the area, the Boville Ernica municipality launched the Olio dei Papi development project which will expand to other cities. “Our idea is to create a cammino (“path,” in Italian) that starts with the history of olive farming in the Papal States and stretches to modern olive oil making,” Bocconi said. “It is an idea that is attracting many, so we are actively working for an agreement among all municipalities involved in this cammino.” “It connects extra virgin olive oil production and farming development with touristic opportunities,” she added. “The Latium regional authorities have taken notice and we hope the whole thing will reach a growing number of olive oil producers and other stakeholders over time.” The cammino will include important historical locations, such as the abbeys of Fossanova, Trisulti, Montecassino and Casamari, and will involve food producers, farmhouses, restaurants and artisans. The first Olio dei Papi-branded extra virgin olive oil is now being produced and markete...
Two extra virgin olive oils from a region of Japan known for its unique climate have won Gold Awards at the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition. The groves of Nippon Olive Company sit above the Seto Inland Sea, in southern Japan, which boasts a Mediterranean climate. However, officials at the company also attributed its success in the competition to a decades-long history of olive growing and dedicated research. “Locals describe our region as the Aegean Sea, a tribute to a climate which closely resembles the Mediterranean climate,” Yasuhiro Yoshida, the company’s production director, told Olive Oil Times. “So much so that our city, Ushimado, is an official sister-city with Mitilíni in Greece.” The formally trained olive oil taster and agronomist is the driving force behind the success of the company’s Ushimado and Ushimado Superior brands. Yoshida’s work follows the path set by the company founder, Kazuichiro Hattori, who began growing olives in the area in 1942 and launched its first olive product in 1949. Great-grandfather of the current Nippon Olive president, Hattori wanted to create a product that could heal and feed people. Over time, the company expanded its olive groves over about 10 hectares, where it manages more than 2,000 trees. After nearly five decades of experience growing Mediterranean olive varieties in Japan, the company expanded its production to Spain in 1992. In Tortosa, Nippon Olive Company manages more than 3,000 trees on 45 hectares. This expanded production helps the company reach the volumes needed to keep pace with the growing demand of Japanese consumers for its high-quality extra virgin olive oils. The need to increase yields does not come as a surprise. According to the latest data from the International Olive Council (IOC), Japan is currently the fourth largest importer of olive oils globally, behind the United States, the European Union and Brazil. The company’s expansion into Spanish olive production was also not a surprise, with 93 percent of Japanese olive oil imports coming from the country. Still, Ushimado Garden, the core of Hattori’s vision for the landscape, remains the focus of the company’s operations. Yoshida emphasized Nippon Olive’s strong relationship with Ushimado’s unique lands. The location of the city and its culture, greatly influenced by the Seto Inland Sea and the related trade opportunities, made Ushimado a significant port until the end of the Edo era in the 19th century. Many visitors to the area explore its unique character by climbing Ushimado Garden’s olive-tree-dotted hills for views of the Seto Inland Sea and its islands. “Visitors come here not only to see the trees, but also to enjoy the wonderful scenery of the olive groves, the blue sea and the colorful fields, and to seek out the high-quality olive oil,” Yoshida said. Ushimado is now one of the major tourist attractions of Okayama prefecture, hosting 90,000 visitors annually. In homage to the land, Yoshida named the company’s flagship brand after the land. Ushimado is a blend of Arbequina, Mission, Manzanillo, Lucca and Nevadillo Blanco olives. It is a sweet extra virgin olive oil with mild notes of bitter and piquant. Meanwhile, Ushimado Superior is sourced from carefully selected olives of Manzanillo, Lucca, Nevadillo Blanco and Mission varieties. “We create our Ushimado blends adapting to the opportunities given us by the seasons,” Yoshida said. “We follow the weather and the trees in the pursuit of quality.” One of the keys to Nippon Olive’s sustained success at the NYIOOC is the daily monitoring of the trees, to detect potential threats and keep them healthy. “Pest control is essential, of course,” Yoshida said. “But we especially focus on pruning correctly, which enables us to keep the trees healthy and aim at the best product quality.” “I would say that the basics of our work have not changed over time, but the quality has improved,” he added. “This is because of a better assessment...
New evidence has emerged of cultivated olive groves dating back 7,000 years in the Central Jordan Valley, about 32 kilometers north of the Sea of Galilee. A new study has investigated ancient settlements and their remains in an area known as Tel Tsaf, finding that there was a prosperous and flourishing society at the time dedicated to growing wheat, barley and olives. According to the archeologists who worked on the research published by Scientific Report, it is one of the earliest examples of humans growing olives. “To describe it, [we can say] that it is the earliest known evidence of olives being farmed outside their naturally-occurring range,” Dafna Langgout, from the Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University and co-author of the study, told Olive Oil Times. Among hundred of charred wood samples collected on the site, archeologists identified many olive remains. While seeds and fruits found in a specific location may come from other regions, it is believed that recovering the remains of wood means that the plant must have grown in the vicinity, the researchers explained in the paper. “Tellingly, the Central Jordan Valley is located outside the natural distribution area of wild olives,” they wrote. “Consequently, the recovery of charred olive wood remains at Tel Tsaf provides strong evidence for olive orchards near the site. A few charcoal remains of olive as well as some olive stones were also reported in previous studies.” In neighboring regions, wild olive trees used to thrive with many other species, such as oaks, tamarisks, white acacia and pistachios. In Tel Tsaf, though, the olive trees were imported by the local population, a phenomenon which also shows that olive planting knowledge had been established. The study focuses on archeological and botanical evidence, which “suggests that olive cultivation began in northern Israel (Carmel coast and the Galilee) almost 8,000 years ago.” The scientists believe that it mainly concerned wild olive species. “A few centuries later, at the beginning of the Middle Chalcolithic period. the settlers of Tel Tsaf engaged in full-fledged olive cultivation, indicated by their location outside Olea Europaea‘s natural distribution,” researchers wrote. “To accomplish this geographical shift, a transfer of both knowledge and genetic olive material from northern Israel to the Central Jordan Valley must have occurred.” The research found that the local population was deeply involved in agriculture, having built large structures to stock food, mostly cereals. The study’s authors explained that each building of the settlements had four to five rounded silos, amounting to a 20 to 30 tons storage capacity. “They greatly exceeded the inhabitants’ needs, indicating the operations of a complex economic system of surplus and wealth accumulation,” the researchers wrote. Such complexity is due to a “sophisticated system of production, possibly including fertilizers, irrigation systems and field management practices, such as incorporating fallow periods into the crop rotations,” they added. That also shows a society that could plant new crops, such as olive trees, the yields of which would have required years to develop. According to Langgout, the Tel Tsaf society was unusually wealthy compared to others, “living in a mode of survival.” “They had time to invest in something with a long-term investment with a relatively delayed return,” the researchers wrote. “It is possible that a fruit tree plantation would not assume its full yield potential within the short adult lifetime of the planter 7000-years-ago, due to the long juvenile period of some of the fruit tree types.” The researchers believe that olives constituted one luxury item that could have played a role in trading with other populations. “Cultivated olive and fig trees produced products with long shelf lives, like table olives, olive oil, and dried figs and, therefore, are highly suitable for long-distance trade and taxation, leading e...
The Greek Council of State, the country’s supreme administrative court, has ruled that only producers of Kalamon table olives in the Messenia region in southwest Peloponnese are entitled to market their olives under the ‘Kalamata’ brand name. The court repealed the ministerial decree of 2018, which had added the term ‘Kalamata olives/Elia Kalamatas’ to the Greek national list of plant varieties as synonymous with the Kalamon cultivar. The decree enabled Greek olive producers of the Kalamon variety based outside Messenia to promote their olives as ‘Kalamata Olives,’ gaining recognition among global consumers. On the other hand, their Messenian counterparts continued to market their Kalamon olives under the ‘Kalamata Olives’ brand and retained the added benefit of the Protected Designation of Origin label, which was attributed to the olives of Messenian origin by the European Union in 1996. In its decision, the Supreme Court also stated that Greek producers of Kalamon olives outside of Messenia must use the ‘Kalamon’ term accompanied by the place of origin to market their olives. The case was under review by the court for more than two years after the appeal of SYMEPOP, the association in support of PDO olive producers of Messenia, against the ministerial decree. In its appeal, the association argued that the Commission regulation 1151/2012 pertaining to PDO products prohibits any direct or indirect use of a registered name for commercial purposes. In the specific case, the protected term ‘Kalamata’ had been used as a synonym of the variety. The Messenian producers also claimed that the Greek Ministry of Agriculture decree would enable olive producers anywhere in the world to promote their Kalamon olives under the brand name ‘Kalamata.’ “With the ministerial order of 2018, the state itself had legalized olives of the Kalamon variety produced anywhere in the world to be marketed as Kalamata olives,” Yiannis Pazios of SYMEPOP told Olive Oil Times. “We are satisfied because our initial claims about using the Kalamata name have been vindicated by the court’s decision.” “At the same time, we are disappointed because we have lost a lot of time awaiting the court’s judgment on a product that needs a promotional strategy to be devised as soon as possible,” he added. “The state and the interprofessional associations have so far failed to do so.” Pazios also suggested that all parties settle on a commonly accepted solution. “We believe that the court’s decision provides the opportunity for all stakeholders, producers, exporters, olive associations and the Greek state to find common ground and come up with a national plan for our olives,” he said. “Of course, the solution must be within the existing regulatory and scientific framework.” Among other table olives varieties, Kalamon olives are grown in several regions of Greece with an average annual production of approximately 60,000 tons. This year’s yield, however, is expected to fare lower at around 50,000 tons for the whole country. The country’s largest producing region of Kalamon olives is Aetolia-Acarnania in western Greece, with an annual production usually exceeding 25,000 tons. Other significant producers are the regions of Laconia and Fthiotida, with a harvest ranging between 10,000 to 15,000 tons and 6,000 to 10,000 tons of olives, respectively, while Messenia’s production totals 2,500 to 3,000 tons a year. Around 80 percent of the country’s Kalamon/Kalamata olive production is exported with a value exceeding €200 million. Non-Messenian producers of Kalamon olives protested the ruling of the State Council, claiming that the olive sector of the country would be severely impacted. “We all have to understand that after the court’s decision, no [table olive production] plant in Greece or Europe can export olives under the name ‘Kalamata Olives’ apart from [plants located in] Messenia,” five agricultural associations from around the country said in a joint statement. “Conversely, o...
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition. Zadar county prefect Božidar Longin held a ceremony in the homonymous capital city to congratulate local wine, cheese and extra virgin olive oil producers for their outstanding results in a series of competitions. Encompassing northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika, Zadar county is one of seven coastal counties in Croatia branded as an official wine tourism destination. “We have quality,” Longin said. “We also have respectable quantities of top-quality oils, wine and cheese, and now we should work on a stronger appeal to tourists.” Wine producers from Zadar earned 12 awards at the recent Decanter World Wine Awards in London, and local cheese producers celebrated their success in three international competitions. Meanwhile, 10 olive oil producers earned 12 awards at the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. Overall, producers from Croatia earned 96 awards from 112 entries in the competition, the third-highest total behind Italy and Spain. However, Croatia’s 86 percent success rate was the highest of any country that submitted more than three entries. “In terms of percentage of success and quality, we are the best in the world,” said Ivica Vlatković, who won two Silver Awards at the competition and is the president of the Zadar County Olive Growers Association. According to Vlatković, as many as 3,500 farmers grow olives on 2,580 hectares in the county. In addition, there are 38 mills, which process about 800,000 liters of oil. Zadar also hosts two panels with 43 certified olive oil evaluators. “The goal is to produce, brand and sell quality extra virgin olive oils at appropriate prices to benefit not only olive growers but also consumers,” Vlatkovic said. He believes Zadar and the rest of Dalmatia can follow the organizational playbook set by producers in the northwestern Istria peninsula to systematically sign up farmers and millers to compete in the competition and assist them in testing their oils and financing their entries. Longin added that the awards result from the hard work and cooperation among farmers, local authorities and other institutions. “The awards from the competition are the best proof of how seriously and responsibly they have approached breeding and production, combining tradition and new knowledge,” he said. “With such a combination, success cannot be absent.” According to Longin, agritourism is an excellent way to develop Zadar County’s rural areas sustainably. He added the county is supporting an increasing number of new agritourism operations. “Branding Zadar County as a gastronomic destination is one of our goals, and it is not possible without the producers of top extra virgin olive oils, wines and cheeses,” Longin said. On behalf of the winners, Vlatković thanked the county for its efforts to support agricultural producers.
An ongoing drought in northern Italy continues to get worse and exacerbate the water scarcity issue facing the region’s population centers and agriculture. In many areas of the Po Valley, rain has not fallen for more than 110 days, and the mountain water reserves have dried up quickly after an extremely dry winter leading to a lack of snowpack. The combination of factors means the main river levels have fallen to a historic low. Local authorities estimated that the Po River has dropped to its lowest levels in the last 70 years, with massive consequences on local agriculture. The river is the backbone of Italy’s northern agricultural regions, considered the most significant in the whole country for staple food production. As the freshwater levels in the Po River drop, more salt water from the Adriatic Sea enters the river, negatively impacting local plants and animals reliant on the river. Similar phenomena are occurring in other rivers in the region too. As several aquifers and wells dry up, large areas are experiencing extreme water shortages. Some residents of Piedmont and Lombardy may soon face nighttime bans on water use recommended by the local utility. Dozens of other locations have water supplies delivered from elsewhere, and in the Ferrara area of Emilia-Romagna, authorities asked 250,000 people to use as little water as possible. The current drought has also been exacerbated by many days of high temperatures, which are expected to rise further in the following weeks. “The situation is getting dramatically worse because we have low levels and no rainfall, and to that, two more factors must be added,” said Meuccio Berselli, the secretary-general of the Po Water Authority. “We have a temperature which is 2 ºC or 3 ºC higher than average, in some areas even 4 ºC more. And that happens in a season with no snowpack.” With the exception of Lake Garda, whose levels are still considered sufficient, every other lake in the region has also seen its water levels drop to historic lows, which has led authorities to limit the amount of water for irrigation. However, farmers’ associations have opposed this move. As a result of water rationing, many farmers expect reduced crop yields this year. The farmers’ association, Coldiretti Bergamo, warned that a drastic drop in yields is expected in barley, wheat, fodder and corn. As temperatures rise, the association wrote, the situation will become even more difficult. According to Coldiretti, 2022 has seen half the rainfall of the average of the last few years. To cope with the rising temperatures and farming water needs, Coldiretti asked for the intervention of the reservoirs and lakes authorities. “The moment is complex and difficult on several fronts, but you have to act immediately, putting into practice everything you can,” said Alberto Brivio, Coldiretti Bergamo’s president. “We are living through one of the worst droughts ever. At this time, we need clarity and coordinated action.” According to Coldiretti, the barley yields are already down by 30 percent, and many more crops are compromised as farmers struggle to access sufficient water to irrigate. “If there is no water, we can not guarantee [locally-produced] food to our citizens,” Brivio said, warning that the war in Ukraine and resulting global food price increases would also be exacerbated by the situation. Coldiretti estimated that the drought has already caused €1 billion in damages in the whole country due to reduced yields. In addition, half of the livestock and more than 30 percent of Italian food production is at risk, Coldiretti warned.
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition. Producers from the Southern Cone – composed of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay – combined to earn 14 awards at the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see World Olive Oil Competition, the region’s highest total since 2019. Half of the awards – three Gold and four Silver Awards – were earned by four producers from Chile. Meanwhile, two Argentine producers combined to win two Gold Awards and a Silver Award. Finally, three Uruguayan producers came away from the competition with a combined two Gold Awards and a Silver Award. While the prolonged drought in northwestern Argentina and Chile’s central valley impacted the 2022 harvests in Latin America’s two largest olive oil-producing countries, Uruguay enjoyed more favorable conditions. However, producers from all three countries faced challenges related to congested global supply chains and rising production costs. These were especially felt in Argentina, where annual inflation has risen to 58 percent, and energy costs have increased substantially. “With these post-pandemic years and the economic difficulties that our country is going through, continuing to produce quality oils with international recognition makes us proud and gives us the strength to continue making an effort,” Patricia Calderón, the director of Establecimiento Olivum, told Olive Oil Times. The producers earned a Silver Award for a medium blend during their fourth appearance at the competition, in which they have won six awards. “At Establecimiento Olivum, we produce premium quality oils,” Calderón said. “For this, the quality of the fruit on the farm, the early harvest and immediate grinding with strict temperature control are essential.” Situated in the northwestern province of San Juan, Olivum’s olive groves sprawl over 1,000 hectares at the foot of the Andes Mountains. The San Juan Valley’s unique microclimate yields Olivum’s high-quality olives and provides plenty of challenges throughout the harvest. “Defining the right harvest time is always a challenge,” Calderón said. “The frosts that promised to be early forced us to be very efficient to finish the harvest before they arrived.” “Being awarded in such a prestigious contest and with such a recognized tasting panel confirms the quality we claim to achieve in our production,” she added. On the Southern Cone’s eastern seaboard, Uruguay’s largest olive oil producer celebrated its second-consecutive award at the 2022 en-why-eye, oh, oh see, winning Gold for a delicate blend. “We are very proud and honored by the recognition,” María José Morín, the marketing manager at Agroland and Nuevo Manatial, which produces Olivares de Rocha, told Olive Oil Times. “We trust these awards will help us conquer new markets.” According to Morín, Agroland produces more than 40 percent of all olive oil in Uruguay and is finding a distributor in the United States. Morín cited this as one of the reasons the company decided first to enter the competition last year. “Therefore, we are the main stakeholders in continuing to position Uruguay as one of the best quality extra virgin olive oil producers in the world,” she said. “This award can have an impact on the recognition of Uruguay as an origin also for extra virgin olive oil.” Morín attributed the company’s commitment to quality instead of quantity and sustainable production techniques as two reasons for its success. “We take maximum care of our crops and the surrounding environment,” she said. “We are inside the first wind farm in Uruguay, and the energy is 100-percent self-generated, as well as taking care of our own water resources.” “Quality is prioritized over quantity,” Morín added. “The process is meticulous and is monitored by our laboratory. The fundamental thing is that the entire human team involved has a passion for the product.” Despite having a more cooperative climate this year than in previous years, Morín said that adapting to...
A team of Spanish researchers has investigated a key genetic trait of the olive tree and devised a way to manipulate the associated gene’s expression with relevant consequences on olive oil aroma. The discovery may allow growers to select cultivars to produce olive oils with specific aromas or researchers to breed new cultivars with pre-determined aromas. Genetically modified olives could feature a more fruity or pungent aroma. “Plants produce and emit a huge diversity of volatile organic compounds, which are released from different tissues such as leaves, fruits, flowers and roots,” the researchers wrote. “From a chemical point of view, these plant volatiles are organic lipophilic molecules characterized by low boiling points and high vapor pressures at ambient temperatures.” Volatile compounds are molecules that, once released by their source, reach the olfactory receptors and create the aroma. The 13-HPL gene has been investigated for decades as it plays a pivotal role in the synthesis of the main volatile compounds that make up the aroma of virgin olive oils. “It was not until approximately a decade ago that we were able to isolate and characterize the 13-HPL gene from the olive tree, as well as to demonstrate the putative [commonly thought] functionality of the protein it encodes, the 13-HPL enzyme,” Carlos Sanz, the leader of the biochemistry and plant food technology research group at the Spanish National Research Council’s Fat Institute, told Olive Oil Times. The 13-HPL is an enzyme that produces the six-carbon C6 aliphatic aldehydes hexanal or hexenals from polyunsaturated fatty acids with a hydroperoxide group at carbon 13. These volatile aldehydes, and their alcohol and ester derivatives, are components of the aroma of the fruits of different plant species. In olives, they are also responsible for the smell of cut grass that is produced when the plant leaves are crushed. “The 13-HPL is an enzyme that is part of the lipoxygenase pathway, which is a highly conserved biochemical pathway in plants that functions in different plant organs,” Sanz said. “We have verified in previous studies that the profile of volatile compounds obtained after crushing the olive leaf is basically the same as that obtained after crushing the olive fruit since, in both organs, the damage to the tissue triggers the functioning of the lipoxygenase pathway and consequently the synthesis of volatile compounds.” “This is essentially the origin of the aroma of virgin olive oil,” he added. “This aroma is only produced when the integrity of the olive fruit is destroyed in the milling stage of the virgin olive oil extraction process.” The study also found that there is only a single 13-HPL gene in the olive, unlike in other metabolic steps in synthesizing these volatile compounds, in which a considerable number of genes with the same function may be involved. “Well, once the gene had been identified and characterized, the next step was to determine its functionality in vivo, that is, to verify that this gene is expressed in the olive to produce 13-HPL and that this enzyme works as it does in vitro,” Sanz said. To verify this, researchers grew two sets of olive trees, one in which the gene was silenced and the other in which it was amplified to its highest possible level. From there, the scientists at the Fat Institute and the University of Malaga analyzed the resulting volatile compounds. The researchers found that silencing the gene brings unwanted consequences. “The modification of the expression of the 13-HPL gene in olive trees not only produces a large decrease in C6 volatiles. it also causes less plant growth,” Sanz said. “This shows that the 13-HPL activity is essential for the normal growth and development of the olive plant.” One of the reasons for this might be the role the 13-HPL gene plays in eliminating polyunsaturated fatty acid hydroperoxides that are toxic to the plant. An excess of the hydroperoxide derivatives in the plant’s tiss...
A new study on sustainable strategies to stem the spread of pests and diseases in Italy has shown that organic vegetable farms can cut phytosanitary treatments by 40 percent compared to conventional farms. The OrtoAmbiente study, financed by the northern Italian region Emilia-Romagna, measured the beneficial impact of an integrated organic approach to crop defense over the last three years. University of Bologna researchers have shown that applying best practices, such as fostering biodiversity, can significantly reduce the use of chemicals and production costs. The results of the study confirm the strategy of the Italian government and local farmer associations to convert more land to organic agriculture. The Italian government plans to convert 25 percent of the country’s farming land are to organic agriculture by 2027, a massive effort fueled by more than €3 billion from the national strategic plan to implement the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the recovery and resilience plan and the recently approved law on organic agriculture. More incentives in the next few years may also come from other CAP funds. Under its Farm to Fork strategy, the European Union plans to convert 25 percent of all agricultural land to organic practices by 2030. “Organic farming is the strategic resource we need,” said Minister of Agriculture Stefano Patuanelli during a presentation in Rome dedicated to the organic expansion strategy. According to the ministry, Europe produces enough food to be self-sufficient. Skyrocketing prices for many agricultural commodities are mainly due to speculation fueled by the uncertainties connected to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Elsewhere, such as in Africa, the ministry acknowledged a concerning and looming food crisis that is projected to worsen soon. Patuanelli has described the new law and the funds as engines for a “green transition” destined to improve farming practices, food quality and promote Made in Italy products in foreign markets. At the same event, the leading Italian organic farming associations presented a bio-decalogue of actions that should ensure that farmers are rewarded for converting to organic practices and that consumers can access organic food at an equal price. Such actions include fiscal benefits for farms that conform with the plan, measures to promote organic farming in less developed areas and support for farms that foster biodiversity by integrating agriculture, livestock and forest activities. The associations have also asked for closer cooperation with the restaurants, communication campaigns to inform consumers about organic agriculture, new tracking tools, simplified bureaucracy and mandatory organic farming in natural areas. “One of the major obstacles in any strategy to transform Italian agriculture is the age of the average farmer,” Matteo Mancini, agronomist and technical coordinator for organic and regenerative agriculture at the non-government organization Deafal, told Olive Oil Times. “In many sectors, including olive growing, most farmers are between 60 and 75 years old,” he added. “In our classes and our experience, that type of farmer is rarely interested in catching up with a new approach to farming.” In the current scenario, where the market is quickly evolving, and the impacts of climate change are amplified, innovation and technology become essential but are often out of reach for older farmers. Mancini said the average Italian farm is usually smaller than 11 hectares, qualifying those companies as small farming operators. “Most of the time, such a farm cannot adopt innovative programs nor support special training for its personnel,” he said. Be it organic farming or a more innovative regenerative approach to agriculture and soil, a generational turnover is needed. “We live in a country that shares with many others an ongoing process of desertification,” Mancini said. “We have lost many points of organic carbon in the soil, and that boosted the desertification...
While the economy, global food security crisis and European energy crisis are the main priorities of the latest European Commission budget, sustainable agriculture also has a prominent place. Brussels has asked the European Union’s 27 member states to agree to a €186 billion budget, of which almost €54 billion will fund the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The new CAP will also receive slightly more than €1 billion from the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. According to a statement from the commission, a relevant part of the CAP funds will be used to strengthen the resilience of agri-food and fisheries at a very challenging moment, characterized by expected global food supply shortages. Crisis management and sustainable agriculture will be the main focus of strengthening this resilience. Significant funds in the new budget also will be dedicated to combating climate change, “in line with the target to spend 30 percent of the long-term budget and the Next Generation E.U. recovery instrument on this policy priority.” The E.U. draft budget also includes an estimated €114 billion in grants under the Next Generation E.U. umbrella. “Next Generation E.U. helps the E.U. recover from the immediate economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and enables us to respond to current and future crises such as the war in Ukraine,” the commission wrote. “The temporary instrument helps build a post-Covid-19 E.U. that is greener, more digital, more resilient and better fit for the current and forthcoming challenges.” Slightly more than €46 billion of the 2023 budget will go to regional development and cohesion projects, which also comprise infrastructure for the green transition. The E.U. will also invest €14 billion in supporting its global partners in a series of development programs and humanitarian aid. With nearly €14 billion, the European Union will continue financing research and innovation projects within the Horizon Europe program, including projects focused on bio-economy, food, natural resources, agriculture and the environment. The program’s goals are to reduce environmental degradation, reverse the decline of Europe’s biodiversity and more efficiently manage natural resources. Another €5 billion of the proposed budget will go toward European strategic investments, including green and digital transition and strategic research and technology. Slightly more than €2 billion will go to the environment and climate action, including €728 million for the LIFE Resilience program, the research initiative focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Other portions of the budget will go to space research, E.U. border protection, migration-spending support, defense, support for the correct development of the single market and health. A new project will also be funded to improve E.U. satellite link security. While presenting the new budget, which will have to be approved by the E.U. member states, Brussels has also hinted at the possibility that further funds might be needed to respond to the critical consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. European Commission European Commission
A new study published in Frontiers in Plant Science by researchers from the University of Córdoba’s agronomy department has identified a potential strategy to stem the spread of Verticillium wilt. Considered the most disruptive olive tree disease due to its high levels of mortality and the reduction of fruit production that takes place during the infection, Verticillium wilt can survive for up to 14 years in the soil. As a result, finding a mitigation strategy has been a top priority for researchers in olive oil-soaked Andalusia. After more than a decade of investigating more than 20 different compounds, researchers identified two beneficial microorganisms – Aureobasidium pullulans and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens – and a copper phosphite fertilizer that may help control the disease. Initially, the researchers tested the two microorganisms and one compound in vitro but found they had no direct impact on the disease. However, when applied to the trees as a preventative measure, the researchers discovered that they improved the trees’ natural defenses against the disease before they became infected. “We selected these three compounds because, applied via irrigation in olive seedlings inoculated with V. dahliae [the fungus that spreads the disease], they reduced the development of the disease by up to 70 percent,” said Ana López-Moral, a researcher at the university. The researchers later discovered that the microorganisms and compounds could also effectively be applied through the leaves of the trees, meaning the treatment could also be applied in non-irrigated groves too. López-Moral added that each microorganism and compound promotes the resistance of the olive trees through different mechanisms, which partially explains the robust effectiveness of the treatment in the study. “The most striking thing was that the induction of resistance caused by the two microorganisms used is regulated by different metabolic pathways,” she said. “While B. amyloliquefaciens triggers the activation of defenses through the salicylic acid pathway, when we apply A. pullulans, we detect that the pathway involved corresponds to that regulated by jasmonic acid.” Along with providing resistance to Verticillium wilt, the researchers believe the compounds may also be effective against other pathogens but stressed further research would be required to test this hypothesis. For now, they are focusing on the next stage of this experiment, which involves field tests in olive groves growing in various climates and soil types to determine how effective the treatment would be in practice.
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Olive farmers and producers from the United States enjoyed a year of record success at the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Forty-five producers from California, Oregon, Texas and Georgia combined to win a record-high 94 awards from 134 entries, the second-highest total for the country. Their 70-percent success rate was also the highest for American producers. As they do every year, farmers and producers had to overcome a range of challenges, from California’s increasingly hot and dry climate to record-low temperatures in Texas and challenges created by supply chain issues. “Farming is not for the faint of heart,” Edie Barry, owner of F & B Foods, which produces the Queen of Trees olive oils, told Olive Oil Times. “The weather is unpredictable, and you sweat every freeze, hot spells, strong winds when the olives set and then you have all the furry friends who want to eat through the irrigation,” she added. Located in olive oil-soaked San Luis Obispo County, in central California, Barry and her team earned a Gold Award for a medium blend in their first time entering the competition. “I’m still pinching myself,” Barry said. “I’m a small producer, female-owned, and this recognition is a big win for our brand as we consider expanding. It is a game-changer for us.” “Winning Gold is huge. It gives you credibility with retailers,” she added. “When your extra virgin olive oil is next to others, and you have an NYIOOC Gold, consumers reach for your bottle. Having that gold stamp on the website also drives direct-to-consumer sales. It is especially helpful when consumers can’t taste your oil in advance of purchase.” From first-time entrants to NYIOOC veterans, the pleasure of triumphing in the world’s largest olive oil quality competition does not seem to fade with time. Brooke Hazen, the owner of Gold Ridge Organic Farms, earned four Gold Awards this year, which he said was the eighth one for his company at the competition. “[I was] really happy and surprised, since we won four out of four Golds just a few years ago, and three out of four last year,” the owner of the northern California producer told Olive Oil Times. “I have been grateful for the accolades coming our way.” Located approximately 80 kilometers north of San Francisco, Hazen said the climate, terroir and lack of “extraordinary challenges” were the keys to another successful harvest. “The cool West Sonoma Coast climate and our proximity to the Pacific Ocean allows a long slow maturation phase for the olives to develop their inherent polyphenols, flavors, colors and nuances,” he said. “Our maritime climate plus our Gold Ridge soils really offer the perfect opportunity for each variety in our four unique blends to reach their truest expression.” While the NYIOOC provides small producers the opportunity to show off their quality and tell their unique stories, it also gives some of the world’s largest producers the opportunity to demonstrate that quantity does not necessarily come at the expense of quality. California Olive Ranch (COR), the largest olive oil producer in the United States, earned a Gold and two Silver Awards at the 2022 NYIOOC. Mary Mori, the company’s vice president of quality and research and development, told Olive Oil Times these awards celebrate the hard work and passion of everyone involved, from company executives to COR’s olive grower partners. “We have always taken great pride in crafting high-quality products,” she said. “The NYIOOC awards are a way for us to celebrate the passion, hard work, and dedication of our efforts in California and across the globe.” “This recognition gives our brands that well-deserved ‘stamp of approval’ from growing practices to harvesting to production and we are immensely proud of that,” she added. Like many other producers around the world, Mori said that COR had to overcome various supply chain issues throughout the harvest...
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. Thirteen turned out to be a lucky number for Australian producers who combined to earn nine Gold Awards and four Silver Awards at the tenth edition of the NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. The victories came after the country’s producers celebrated a fruitful harvest in 2022, with many producers enjoying better climatic conditions than in previous years, but still facing challenges related to labor. This is vindication for 30 years in the industry. We will be shouting from the rooftop about this, and I am sure it will help confirm our place as a premium producer of world-class extra virgin olive oil.– Richard Seymour, general manager, Mount Zero Olives “The AOOA is pleased to see an increase in the number of locally-produced oils entered in the competition and being recognized internationally,” Jan Jacklin, the general manager of the Australian Olive Oil Association, told Olive Oil Times. “The AOOA is heartened to see consumption of olive oil increasing in Australia and the category growing overall.” “The Australian Olive Oil Association (AOA) is excited that from 20 Australian entries into the NYIOOC, 13 Awards — nine Golds and four Silvers — were awarded,” added Michael Southan, the chief executive director at the Australian Olive Association (AOA). “We congratulate the Australian olive oil producers who entered the competition and those who came away with awards,” Southan added. “It was also pleasing to see Cobram Estate Olives win Gold and Silver Awards for olive oils from their Australian and U.S. groves.” Boundary Bend, Australia’s largest olive oil producer, was among the country’s biggest winners. The Victoria-based producer of Cobram Estate olive oils earned four awards for their medium-intensity oils, including three Golds. The Gold Awards were earned for the company’s Coratina and Picual monovarietals and its Koroneiki blend. In addition, the company won a Silver Award for its Frantoio blend. “We are thrilled with the results and incredibly proud that the quality and consistency of our extra virgin olive oils are recognized as some of the best in the world,” Leandro Ravetti, Cobram Estate’s co-CEO and chief oil maker, told Olive Oil Times. “To receive recognition on an international stage at the NYIOOC is the greatest honor.” “It puts a spotlight on all the hard work, experience, precision and passion we put into creating every bottle of extra virgin olive oil,” he added. “At Cobram Estate, we are passionate about every single olive, and this inspires everything we do.” Ravetti said the company’s harvest was quite a unique one. “We experienced a very favorable wet winter, followed by a moderate summer with above-average rainfall during the oil accumulation process,” he said. Ravetti added that these conditions resulted in excellent flesh-to-pit ratios that boosted the balance and fruity flavors of their oils. “We combined these environmental conditions with our horticultural and milling expertise to make beautiful and harmonious oils,” he said. Another big winner at this year’s competition was fellow-Victorian producer Cape Schanck Olive Estate. Situated on the southern Mornington Peninsula, the company took home three Gold Awards for their delicate Picholine, medium Frantoio and medium Leccino. “We are ecstatic with the result as we did not expect the oils to once again stand up to the scrutiny of the judges,” Sui Tham, who co-owns the estate with her husband, Stephen, told Olive Oil Times. “We are also relieved that we have managed to maintain a consistent quality with the oils,” she added. “For us personally, it’s also knowing that our customers can trust that they are buying some of the best oils produced that year.” Tham said they were quite fortunate as the terroir of Cape Schanck Estate’s grove allowed their harvest to proceed irrespective of the weather. “Our challenge was maximizing the harvest without damaging the ...
A major global initiative to strengthen food security has been announced by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In the next 15 months, the World Bank will deploy more than €28 billion in a wide array of projects that fund farming development, cover vulnerable households against rising food prices and water management and irrigation projects. The bank said a portion of the investment would also support farmers and facilitate trade. The goal of the funding is to strengthen global food systems to make them more sustainable and resilient to risks posed by extreme weather events, pathogens and diseases, conflicts and trade disruptions. Bank officials also warned that the global food crisis is worsening. “Food price increases are having devastating effects on the poorest and most vulnerable,” said David Malpass, the World Bank Group president. “To inform and stabilize markets, it is critical that countries make clear statements now of future output increases in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” “Countries should make concerted efforts to increase the supply of energy and fertilizer, help farmers increase plantings and crop yields and remove policies that block exports and imports, divert food to biofuel or encourage unnecessary storage,” he added. The World Bank is currently implementing an €11 billion investment plan with its partner countries. These funds are earmarked for curtailing the food security crisis. At the 1996 World Food Summit, delegates approved a definition of food security which defined the term as “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” The bank’s first portion of the funds will mostly go to Africa and the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia. Another €17.4 billion comes from the bank’s existing portfolio focused on projects related to food and nutrition security issues, covering agriculture and natural resources, nutrition, social protection and other sectors. “This response will draw on the full range of bank financing instruments and be complemented by analytical work,” the World Bank said. The institution added how the experience of the 2007/08 global food price crisis allowed the bank to develop new programs, which funded more than 100 projects in 49 countries to counteract the worst effect of the crisis. “The World Bank also hosts the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), which is an existing financial intermediary fund dedicated to improving food security in low-income countries and could be replenished to help fund the response to the current global food crisis,” the bank said. Born in 1944 as a financial tool to fund post-World War II reconstruction, the World Bank has evolved into a multi-purpose global financial institution deeply involved in food systems. Among the many projects financed by the bank, some are directed toward olive growing projects in developing countries, fighting the obesity epidemic, promoting health and countering the worst effects of climate change. In the past 70 years, the World Bank has seen its financial commitment grow from €463 million in loans reported in 1947 to €56 billion in 2015. Its so-called “twin goals” include ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting the shared prosperity of the poorest 40 percent of the population in all countries.
A three-year-long European Union-funded project has shown that olive, fruit and vine growers can efficiently contribute to developing a carbon credit market focused on agriculture, creating new opportunities for farmers and producing beneficial effects for the environment. The experimental market set up by the Green Economy and CO2 project (GECO2) allowed the agricultural partners to measure their carbon sequestering capabilities and sell carbon credit. On the other side of the spectrum, GECO2 buyers in the food sector were allowed to offset portions of their greenhouse gas emissions by buying those credits. Coordinated by Italian and Croatian officials, hundreds of farmers and entrepreneurs on both banks of the Adriatic Sea participated in the scheme, which encouraged the adoption of many farming best practices. “Thanks to the best practices in managing their territory and the biomass, farmers who participated in the project have learned that a virtuous approach can lead to carbon credits generation,” Giulia Villani and Antonio Volta, researchers at the Climate Observatory of the Italian Agency for Energy and Environment of Emilia-Romagna and members of the GECO2 coordinating team, told Olive Oil Times. “Thanks to GECO2, we have verified that participating Italian and Croatian growers sequester around three tons of carbon per hectare on average,” they added. In a note published by Legacoop, one of the project partners, the cooperative’s president, Cristian Maretti, noted how “this project highlights that the capture of carbon dioxide is possible in agriculture and generates interesting earnings and carbon credits for farmers.” “There is interest in supporting more sustainable agricultural supply chains, and therefore there is a potential for the voluntary market to work,” he added. The carbon sequestering capabilities of every involved farmer were input into the GECO2 algorithm, which calculated how the volumes translated into corresponding credits. “The first tool that the project designed was the carbon calculator needed to produce agricultural-generated carbon credits,” Villani and Volta said. “After that, another calculator was developed to estimate the carbon emissions produced by the GECO2 buyers,” they added. “In the test project, we have specifically focused on the emissions related to the energy use of the participating companies.” In the third step of the development project, GECO2’s partners created the platform where the actual carbon credit trading occurs. By answering a questionnaire, participating farmers provide the carbon calculator with the relevant data, such as the slope of the land, soil drainage properties and texture and the annual rainfall. They also had to list the species and number of permanent crops and trees growing in their fields, the age of the groves and the height of the trees. Other data requested for the carbon calculator included the amount of forestry crops and other vegetation such as shrubs or hedges. Farmers were also asked to be very specific about the treatments used in the field, such as the use of fertilizers and other chemicals, how they are used and applied and in what quantities they are applied. They also had to detail the management of compost materials describing the origin, type and how they are used. At the same time, the farmers were also asked to measure their fuel use and energy consumption. “One of the limits we have met by using the questionnaire is the fact that it might be too detailed, in the sense that it can end up costing farmers if it needs to be done for each of their fields,” Villani and Volta said. “The other limit being that not all farmers have all those data, nor did they ever explore specific characteristics of their activity,” they added. On one side, that means that some producers input estimates instead of specifics into the calculator, distorting the reality of the amount of carbon sequestered and corresponding credits produced. However, it also al...
Pakistani officials struggle to estimate the full extent of the damage caused by extensive wildfires, which burned hundreds of thousands of trees in the Koh-e-Sulaiman mountain range in the western Balochistan region. The blaze has ravaged what many consider the largest chilgozha pine nut forest in the world. Local sources believe that at least 40 percent of that forest was burned down. With it, many olive trees were also destroyed by the flames. The local sources added that the economic downturn caused by the devastation will be felt for generations. Local experts interviewed by TheDawn magazine warned that the prolonged drought combined with a record heatwave triggered the massive blaze. Kamran Hussain, a World Wildlife Fund researcher, said the fire season in Pakistan started earlier than usual because of climate change. “The scorching heat sucks all water from the vegetation leaving it dry and increasing the chances of fires,” he said. The Pakistani government confirmed that three people were killed while trying to stop the flames. The wildfire spread from neighboring woods to Koh-e-Sulaiman, a national park at a high altitude that is considered a unique environment for many flora and fauna species. There, the flames were fueled by the strong winds. Local experts believe that the devastation caused by the fire will severely impact the livelihoods of the area’s residents, many of whom are involved in forestry-related activities. The Shirani forest extends for about 260 square kilometers and represents a large portion of Balochistan forest, covering about 1.4 percent of the region. Media reports also indicated that as many as 800 olive trees were destroyed by the wildfires in the historic Musakhail forest, which has been home to olive trees for 500 years. The Pakistani government identified the region for the expansion of the country’s olive groves due to the appropriate climate, and economic opportunities olive cultivation is expected to bring to the area. Muhammad Yahya, the provincial coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, told TheDawn that what happened in the park could be far from over. “There are still trees that are burning, and sparks of fire are still erupting from them,” he said. “The trees are throwing off their flames, putting the other vegetation at risk. And this increases the threat of another fire breaking out in the forest if not contained in time.” The wildfire that affected Balochistan is a significant event in a country where fires routinely burn during the dry season. Firefighters recently managed to control a wildfire in a swath of forests in northern Pakistan, near the country’s capital, Islamabad. Other wildfires have been reported in recent weeks in the mountains of the Swat district, just north of the capital. According to AryNews, a local media outlet, this wildfire took more than a week to be curtailed, and four people died. The Global Forest Watch international observatory estimates that from 2001 to 2021, Pakistan lost 9,750 hectares of tree cover, equivalent to a 1 percent decrease since 2000. “Pakistan is already a forest-poor country as only 4.8 percent of its land is covered with forests,” TheNews, another local media outlet, wrote in an editorial. “The global average is 31 percent. Even South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have 24 percent, 14 percent and 34 percent of their land mass covered with forests and plants,” they added.
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 en-why-eye, oh-oh-see World Olive Oil Competition. With the highest-ever turnout, Turkish olive oil producers, bottlers and exporters shined bright at the tenth edition of the en-why-eye, oh-oh-see World Olive Oil Competition. Earning a total of 65 awards (34 Gold and 31 Silver) from 116 entries, Turkish entrants far exceeded last year’s tally of 44 awards. Participants from Turkey have increased their number of entries and awards earned in recent years in the competition, significantly improving their ranking among the rest of the contenders year by year. Birsen Pehlivan, a Turkish olive oil expert, identified the continuous improvement of Turkish producers in olive oil production as the reason behind their strong showing and successes in the world’s largest quality contest. “Turkish olive oils are attending the competition at rising rates each year, getting awards at a rising rate as well,” Pehlivan told Olive Oil Times. “The producers in Turkey have quickly discovered how to produce high-quality olive oil in the last five years,” she added. ”This land is home to a huge variety of olives and we know, to access the hidden features, we need quality production protocols and to strive towards excellence.” Pehlivan runs an online network comprised of most of the country’s olive oil producers, offering them guidance and expert advice. “For the last two years, I have been talking to them [the producers] about the en-why-eye, oh-oh-see and the importance of this competition,” she said. “I also guided them in their decision to apply.” “We organize workshops with producers, and I have educated them on quality olive oil production,” Pehlivan added. “I am very proud to be called ‘Teacher Birsen’ by olive oil producers in Turkey.” The country enjoyed a near-record yield of 227,500 tons of olive oil in the 2021/22 crop year, according to data published by the International Olive Council. The initial projections of an even higher olive oil yield exceeding 235,000 tons were not realized. However, the year’s production total is the second-highest for the country after the 287,000 tons produced in 2017/18. The harvesting season was nonetheless far from easy-going for Turkish producers. In August, dozens of wildfires swept through several olive oil-producing territories in the southwest of the country, destroying thousands of olive trees, and the weather fluctuations certainly took their toll on the country’s olive oil production. In addition, a prohibition on exports of several agricultural products, including bulk olive oil, imposed by the Turkish government in March on the grounds of stabilizing the domestic market upset olive oil producers and exporters by disrupting their business and revenue. For Darvari Gida Tarim from Çanakkale in the northwest of the country, the first Turkish producer to win four awards (two Gold and two Silver Awards) at en-why-eye, oh-oh-see this year, challenges during harvest and production are always part of the job. “Talking about pressure and difficulties, harvesting is always a time that has a sort of immutable value,” co-owner Cem Erdilek told Olive Oil Times. “It is the very peak of accumulating the critical production mass needed to stay in the market and the critical point in determining the qualities and main characteristics of the olives.” Overlooking the majestic Dardanelles Strait, Darvari Gida Tarim is currently savoring the glory of the multiple en-why-eye, oh-oh-see accolades it garnered in this year’s competition. “Two Gold and two Silver Awards are clearly a source of good old professional pride,” Erdilek said. “We are improving, and en-why-eye, oh-oh-see is like a sounding board that we are privileged to consider as an extension of our team.” Darvari has been participating in the world’s most prestigious olive oil competition since 2019, at first without reaching the podium but eventually becoming triumphant in what turned out to be a fail-a...
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 en-why-eye, oh-oh-see World Olive Oil Competition. Olive farmers, oil producers, bottlers and exporters in Spain celebrated another record year at the 2022 en-why-eye-oh-oh-see World Olive Oil Competition. Representatives from the largest producing country enjoyed an exceptional showing at the world’s largest olive oil quality competition by every metric, earning a record-high 128 awards from a record-tying 148 entries and achieving a record-high 77 percent success rate. Rafael Pico Lapuente, the executive director of the Spanish Association of Olive Oil Exporting, Industry and Commerce (Asoliva), told Olive Oil Times that the record year for Spanish producers at the competition indicated improving quality throughout the sector. “For 30 years, Spanish production has evolved towards greater production in quantity and quality,” he said. “These international awards make it possible for consumers to value our olive oils due to the prestige that this entails,” Lapuente added. “Spain exports 70 percent of what it produces and these awards spread the word of the benefits and qualities of Spanish olive oil.” As always, the lion’s share of the awards was won by producers in the southern autonomous community of Andalusia, which is responsible for about two-thirds of Spanish olive oil production. However, producers from Castilla-La Mancha, Spain’s second-largest producing region, Extremadura and Catalonia, also earned plenty of en-why-eye-oh-oh-see accolades. Regardless of where they were from, producers across Spain faced plenty of challenges throughout the 2021 crop year – during which Spain produced 1.3 million tons of olive oil – from extreme weather events to persistent drought and rising production costs. “As for the whole world, 2021/22 was a difficult year,” John-Dominic Cancilla, the sales manager at Marqués de Valdueza, told Olive Oil Times. “First because of the Covid-19 pandemic itself, and then because of all the problems of supply, transportation, cost increases and other obstacles caused by it, working normally was a major challenge,” he added. Cancilla and his team earned two Gold Awards for a pair of medium blends, adding to a production legacy that dates back to 1624. “It always feels good to win awards at the en-why-eye-oh-oh-see , and doing a double like this year is apotheosis,” he said. “The en-why-eye-oh-oh-see awards give us visibility in the market and are an advertisement for the consumer. In addition, they are an incentive to continue fighting to produce oils of recognized quality.” The awards are all the more gratifying given the specific challenges of producing olive oil in the landlocked west-central region of the country. “In Extremadura, as deduced from the region’s name, agricultural production is and has always been difficult,” Cancilla said. “Only with intimate complicity with the land and the extremeños is a producer capable of getting the best of himself and his environment.” “The scarceness of water and the region’s harsh climate mark the ongoing struggle in the extreme countryside,” he added. Situated about 250 kilometers southeast of Marqués de Valdueza’s groves, the producer behind Nobleza del Sur, in Jaén, also celebrated a pair of Gold Awards for two Picual monovarietals. “This fantastic result is a boost of energy for the entire Nobleza del Sur team and consolidates our commitment to quality in olive oils for yet another harvest,” owner Lola Sagra told Olive Oil Times. Like in Extremadura, she added that each season brings its own challenges, with international awards serving as a barometer to indicate how well the company overcame them. “Every year is a new challenge,” she said. “Nature offers us different scenarios with different campaigns; some rainier, others hotter, others drier like 2021/22 harvest.” However, Sagra added that Jaén’s privileged location and generations of oil-producing know-how helped the company succeed. “Our olive tr...
A restored irrigation project in Iraq has just been officially launched by local authorities and United Nations officials from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Its recovery and reopening will impact a large agricultural area near the Syrian border. The announcement comes as an intense and prolonged drought plagues large swaths of the country, accelerating desertification and threatening crops. We produce approximately 200,000 liters of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, but we intend to continue the expansion of our production as we are focused on involving more farming areas.– Ahmad Ali Tamas, owner, Rasan Factory The new project, largely financed by the European Union, was initially launched by the northern governorate of Al-Jazīrah in 1990. However, the infrastructure was heavily damaged during the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) occupation, to the point that local farmers ceased operations in an area already hit by the consequences of climate change. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the recovery project included the reconstruction of the water pumping station at Tel Al-Hawa, and the rebuilding of 11 bridges, 17 power transmission towers and 21 water control gates. The massive restoration required the cleaning of irrigation canals from silt and debris engaging 1,250 households through a cash-for-work scheme and providing spare parts to 150 linear-move irrigation systems. Even though the most relevant portions of the Iraqi economy are related to oil and gas, farming represents the third most relevant economic activity. It is believed that more than 200,000 people from the town of Rabia and the surrounding areas will benefit from the resumption of agricultural activities. Local authorities are struggling to maintain water security for the population and farming in large areas of the country. The World Bank estimates that more than 40 percent of the country is currently desert and sparsely populated because of the harsh climatic conditions, which include the worsening phenomenon of heatwaves and sandstorms. Among the current challenges, the bank’s experts cite the reduced availability of good quality water due to the widespread salinity. “Desertification and water scarcity due to river flow fluctuations render Iraq vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change,” World Bank officials wrote. Areas once known for their farming activities, such as the southern Iraq palm tree plantations, have slowly lost land to desertification and salinization. The ongoing drought exacerbates the existing fragility of the agricultural sector. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Iraqi government has recently opted to halve the amount of water that can be used for farming activities, a decision due to the reduced amount of water flowing in from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. At the beginning of May, the Ministry of Agriculture warned that desertification risk is now covering 90 percent of the country due to climate change effects and the current disputes with Iran and Turkey about the use of common water river resources. According to Al-Monitor, the ministry warned that the rate of desertification is increasing with growing consequences for food security. A ministry official told the magazine that military conflicts, excessive use of water by farmers and citizens, drought and climate change are the main drivers of the current crisis. Since the 1950s, temperatures in Iraq have steadily risen. According to the U.S.-based Tahir Institute for Middle East Policy, the frequency of heatwaves reaching 50 ºC or more is increasing and it is believed that surface temperatures will rise by two or three degrees by the end of the century. In this context, the government is supporting the launching of new farming activities by private entrepreneurs in challenging areas. With the ambition of becoming the most relevant olive oil producer in the country, Rasan F...
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition. Tuscan producers earned a record number of awards at the tenth N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition, once again confirming the central Italian region on the world stage. This success comes at the end of a season described by some as one of the most challenging in recent times. Several groves were affected by extreme weather, especially during the summer, which posed a severe threat to both yields and quality. However, painstaking work in the field, where nothing was left to chance, coupled with greater investment and a certain amount of stubbornness – a talent that all the farmers should be equipped with, in any case – made it possible for Tuscan producers to reach outstanding levels of quality. All this effort translates into elegant, mouth-filling blends rich in scents like artichoke, wild greens, almonds, aromatic herbs and spices that come together, generating striking sensorial emotions. Nestled on the gravelly, tuffaceous hills of Cetona, in the province of Siena, Podere Ricavo earned a Gold Award for its DOP Terre di Siena Biologico brand, an organic medium blend. “For us, this award is worth double,” Federico Massoli told Olive Oil Times. “First, the N-Y-I-O-O-C is a prestigious competition and obtaining recognition from it means a lot to us. Also, since we have many customers in the United States, this is a way to show them the relevance of our product.” “Last year was complex,” he added. “A late frost compromised the flowering and halved the production, yet this did not prevent us from obtaining the high quality we always aspire to.” His 3,000 olive trees are spread over a 10-hectare estate that, being on the regional border, encroaches on the neighboring Città della Pieve in Umbria. “Our blend consists of 40 percent Moraiolo, a little less than 20 percent Leccino, with the remaining percentage shared between Frantoio and Correggiolo,” Massoli said. Besides these, his groves include several Minuta di Chiusa trees, which were recently rediscovered. “We produce a monovarietal and call it the olive oil of Etruscans,” he said. “Indeed, centuries-old Minuta trees can be found only in our local area around Chiusi, which was once the capital of this population.” “The protection of biodiversity, closely linked to sustainable farm management, is part of our life philosophy that urges us to live in a clean and healthy environment,” Massoli added. In Vitiano, a hamlet of Arezzo, Giancarlo Giannini masterfully combined the fruits of Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo trees. The result is Vipiano, whose harmonic complexity impressed the N-Y-I-O-O-C judges and earned him a Gold Award – the latest in a long series of accolades. “I am pleased, especially since receiving several awards in a row allowed us to communicate to our customers our constant dedication to quality over the years,” he told Olive Oil Times. “My groves still maintain a traditional planting layout,” Giannini added. “They are mostly composed of very old olive trees, while the newest part was planted after 1985.” He said that since the big chill of that year, the last harvest was probably the most difficult in the recent decades. “A late frost in the first week of April destroyed the first buds and delayed flowering,” Giannini said. “Then we had a good fruit set, but a heat wave burned the small fruits.” “Only in the newly irrigated area were we able to save part of the harvest,” he added. “This meant increased work and expenses, but the final quality we reached paid us back for all the effort.” This year, a very good flowering bodes well for the next harvest. “We have to see what happens in the next few weeks,” said Giannini, who is also the producer behind Bramasole, the brand created by Frances Mayes, author of the New York Times bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun. The fruits of her plants, located between Vitiano and Cortona, are crushed at Giannini’s mill. “I believe the...
Croatian olive growers are already celebrating success at the 2022 N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition, even as more results are announced each day. “We are third in the world [in terms of total awards],” Tomislav Duvnjak, owner of Vodice DOO in Dalmatia, who won two Silver Awards this year, told a network of local olive growers. “I hope we will endure to the end, and that this is the largest success so far.” This year, producers from 28 countries submitted 1,240 samples of extra virgin olive oil to the world’s largest olive oil quality competition. So far, 468 Gold Awards and 225 Silver Awards have been given out. At the time of writing, Croatian producers had earned a total of 93 awards (67 Gold and 26 Silver), with only Spanish and Italian producers earning more with 140 and 111, respectively. By comparison, Croatian producers earned the fourth-highest total in the 2021 edition of the competition, behind Italy, Spain and Greece, with 87 awards (67 Gold and 20 Silver). Over the years, Croatian participation has increased steadily and sharply, growing from the first edition of the competition in 2014 when just 13 samples were submitted to the record-high 112 samples submitted this year. The single sharpest year of growth came in 2021 when 105 samples were submitted to the NYIOOC panel of judges, an increase of 75 percent compared to the previous year. The huge uptick was attributed to a grassroots organizing effort in Dalmatia driven by Duvnjak to help more growers and producers participate. Along with a record-high number of awards, Croatian producers have also achieved the highest success rate of any country that earned more than three awards at the competition, with 83 percent. Japan and New Zealand are the next highest, with 75 percent each. “Awards are recognition of the great effort and work,” said Domagoja Živković, who earned a Gold Award at the competition. “But also an obligation to continue to improve because it is hard to stay on top.” Ivica Vlatković, the president of the Zadar County Olive Growers Association who also earned two Silver Awards at the 2022 N-Y-I-O-O-C , added that the role tradition has played in the success of Croatia’s growers and producers cannot be underestimated. “The labor and work of Croatian olive growers, our grandfathers, was not in vain,” he said. “Many of us built on their foundations, planted new olives and achieved success.” Just as a Frech enologist once told him years ago when he asked about the success of French wine globally, Vlatković said “the secret is in the tradition.” “Because tradition is an experiment which lasts, is transferred down the generations and is perfected,” he concluded.
Many regions in France face a prolonged drought that is impacting water availability, soil moisture, and farming activities. Forecasts show that most French departments will have to cope with a long dry summer which will exacerbate the effects of the drought in several areas. We must be frank, with the hydrological forecasts that Meteo France produced for the end of May and early of June, there will be a whole part of France which will, in any case, be permanently affected.– Jean-Charles Deswarte, agronomist, Arvalis A map published by the Ministry for Ecological Transition shows that 76 of France’s 96 departments are in a state of alert. Furthermore, 26 (of the 76) are in a state of high alert. Drought risk levels are determined by examining water levels in reservoirs, lakes and rivers while also considering groundwater and soil moisture levels. According to the ministry, current restrictions on water use are being applied in southern departments, where the vast majority of the country’s olive oil is produced. According to the French newspaper, LeMonde, the grim forecasts for the current drought are fueled by significantly lower than average rainfall last autumn and winter, which usually replenishes water levels and leads to more availability later in the season. Simon Mittelberger, a climatologist at Méteo-France, told LeMonde that the situation would likely be worse in 22 departments by the end of summer. Water scarcity in May, paired with lower soil moisture and record-breaking heat, is having a particularly profound impact on agriculture. “The month of May is not only very hot but also very dry,” Olivier Proust, a forecasting engineer at Météo-France, told Agence France Press. “From the Belgian border to the Atlantic, we have a 20 to 30 percent rainfall deficit.” This summer, the most significant impacts are expected to be felt by wheat and barley producers. “The plant is in the run-up phase at the moment, a crucial period that determines the number of grains and their quality,” said Joël Limouzin, a farmer and vice-president of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions. He added that many farmers in several areas, including ones that do not usually need to, have already used irrigation to sustain the crops used for animal food. “We must be frank, with the hydrological forecasts that Meteo France produced for the end of May and early of June, there will be a whole part of France which will, in any case, be permanently affected,” Jean-Charles Deswarte, an agronomist at the crop institute Arvalis, told Reuters. According to Deswarte, almost one-third of crop potential has already been lost in regions with dropping surface or mid-soil water levels. As a result, crop potential could fall by 50 percent in some areas. “Whether it be for corn, sunflower or sorghum when there is no water, there is no plant,” he said. Given the situation and the enormous amount of water needed for the sector, the agri-food industry in several areas is campaigning to reuse treated wastewater, regulations which are considered more strict in France than elsewhere in Europe. The water scarcity situation is especially worrying for southern France, and many areas where olive trees are grown are currently affected by the drought. In the southeast, rainfall levels are down 53 percent, from Bouches-du-Rhône to Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône has activated a state of crisis for the Huveaune river basins, which means 19 municipalities and some areas of Marseille face water restrictions. Several portions of the river have reportedly dried up. To limit the effects of the drought, the ministry said the measures aim to preserve water “and ensure access to drinking water and for public health while remaining attentive to the challenges of agricultural and energy activities.” “In the face of drought, saving water must be everyone’s business,” the ministry concluded. BFMTV TF1 Info Challenges
Corporate gifting, long seen as a routine cost of doing business, has grown into a €226 billion industry, and this trend has only accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic. A recent study from Coresight Research, a market research firm, surveyed 300 corporate gift buyers at companies producing up to €28 billion in revenue. The study found that corporate gifting improved relationships with employees and clients, and improved employee retention and customer loyalty. It also concluded that unique, high-quality gifts are the most appreciated. Croatia’s first unicorn – a privately-held startup valued at more than $1 billion (€930 million) – has taken this advice to heart. Infobip, an information technology and telecommunications firm, demonstrates the importance of its employees and clients by gifting them award-winning extra virgin olive oil produced from the trees in front of its main headquarters. Based in Vodnjan, a town located on the southwestern edge of the olive oil-soaked Istrian peninsula, Infobip has been producing olive oil since 2020 under the Oila brand, and earned a Gold Award at the 2021 N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition. “At first, the idea was to have the olive trees because this is a tradition in Istria,” Aurora Volarević, Infobip’s vice president of corporate affairs and an award-winning producer at Turinela Farms, told Olive Oil Times. In its first harvest, the company produced 60 bottles of extra virgin olive oil. This year, that total increased to 80, and Volarević said there are plans to expand. “We are keeping it as a unique gift for the most important personnel and customers,” Andrej Mendaš, the company’s head of public relations, told Olive Oil Times. “We want to create something that is not so common. We always disrupt things, and this is a fun way to do that.” “The idea was to have the olive oils to share with business partners,” Volarević added. “It’s a big thing in Istria.” When the company opened its Vodnjan campus in 2017, 30 Leccino and Pendolino olive trees were planted in front of the building, along with a range of aromatic herbs and other Mediterranean plants. When Volarević joined Infobip a couple of years later, she entered a small team at the firm that had to decide what to do with the newly-developing olives. At this point, Volarević already had a decade of olive oil-producing experience and saw that the landscaper, Milan Radolovic, also followed similar harvesting and maintenance best practices in the company’s grove. After mentioning that she sent her own extra virgin olive oil samples to New York in 2021, the company thought they would do the same with Oila to see what would happen. “I knew that the whole process and the results should be similar to what I’m doing [at Turinela Farms],” Volarević said “I was sure that we would receive some award, but wasn’t sure which one.” Sure enough, Oila earned a Gold Award at the competition. Volarević was thrilled and sent the link of the announcement to other people in the company. Since the oils had been sent to New York in secret, plenty of her colleagues thought this was a joke until they saw the official announcement published a few days later. “No one knew about it,” Mendaš confirmed. “I remember I was sitting at a cafe and my friend sent me a link saying ‘oh my gosh, you guys won the olive oil award.’ I was shocked.” Olive oil culture, which is nearly ubiquitous in Istria, had already permeated Infobip. Volarević said that many people working at the company have family farms with olive trees. However, now olive oil is seeping into the corporate culture. In the previous harvest, employees hand-harvested olives from the company’s trees together as part of a team-building exercise. Future planting and harvesting will also likely be done in a similar fashion. The olives are then taken to a local mill, run by another perennial N-Y-I-O-O-C winner, OPG Chiavalon. Along with olives, the company has also planted 60 other fruit trees and is in ...
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition. South African producers earned 10 awards at the 2022 N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition, a record-high number of awards for the sub-Saharan producer. The record number of awards at the world’s largest olive oil quality competition comes on the back of a bumper harvest in the country. However, producers widely cited climate change as one of the biggest challenges they faced during the harvest. Porterville Olives, South Africa’s biggest winner, scooped up three Gold Awards for their Andante brand, produced on Werêldsgeluk Olive Estate outside Porterville in the country’s Western Cape province. The company took the Gold Awards for its medium-intensity Nocellara del Belice and Favolosa monovarietals, and their delicate Frantoio blend. “We are very happy, grateful and humbled by the generosity of nature and the olive,” Willie Duminy, who co-owns Werêldsgeluk with his wife, Lisa, said. “They make the oil. We extract and protect it.” “The hard work, perseverance and attention to detail of our farming, harvesting and milling teams, the quality of our trees and the gifts of abundant sunshine and a healthy climate are reflected in the character of the oil,” Duminy added. Duminy hopes that winning these awards at the N-Y-I-O-O-C will help him promote his extra virgin olive oil to consumers as a healthy and flavorful alternative to their current cooking oils in South Africa and abroad. “[The N-Y-I-O-O-C ] allows South African oils – and Western Cape oils – to be benchmarked against the best in the world,” he said. “We believe that the three 2022 Gold Awards will enhance our Andante brand substantially, locally and internationally.” The awards came as a welcome relief for the Duminys towards the end of the local harvest season. South African producers typically start harvesting in late February and finish in August. “This year, the start of the harvest was delayed in our area by wet weather, which placed additional pressure on the mill once the season got underway,” Duminy said. “In addition, we had a few electro-mechanical and electronic breakdowns mostly due to power outages, called load-shedding in South Africa, that further pressured the milling team.” “That apart, the season has been very good,” he added. “Volumes from our groves and our third-party suppliers are up, and the quality has been good overall.” Duminy said the team at Werêldsgeluk combines the best environmentally sensitive and responsible farming methods with the latest harvesting and milling machinery. “It takes careful hard work from everyone,” he said. “The pruners, tractor drivers, people doing weed-control and harvesters who work long, hard hours are the heroes in the olive mill.” “I do not know whether Andante is unique, but I can say it expresses a lot of what is very good, if not unique, about our corner of the Western Cape and its people,” Duminy added. Lions Creek Olive Estate, situated outside Leeu Gamka in the country’s Western Cape province, was another South African winner in New York, taking home a Gold and a Silver Award. Louise Rabie, who co-owns Lions Creek Olive Estate with her husband, Andries, said they were elated after winning the Gold Award for their medium-intensity blend and the Silver Award for their delicate Picual. “It’s very fulfilling to enjoy the fruit of our labor and the results of meticulously applying the highest possible standards during harvesting and production,” Rabie said. “N-Y-I-O-O-C awards provide consumers assurance that Lions Creek is committed to high quality.” “Besides being one of the largest olive farms in South Africa, the wide variety of cultivars affords us the opportunity to offer an extensive range of extra virgin olive oils,” she added. However, winning the awards at the N-Y-I-O-O-C did not come easy for the Rabies. “Seven years of severe drought in the Karoo region of the Western Cape limited our production and force...
More frequent extreme weather events and a changing climate, which impact farming and food security on every continent, are worsening, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The data gathered by WMO and published in its State of Global Climate Report 2021 show how human activities have released record levels of greenhouse gases in 2021, one of the main drivers of average surface temperature rise. Increases in average ocean temperatures also accelerated in 2021. The WMO estimated that ocean levels rose by 10 centimeters in the last three decades. Along with rising temperatures and sea levels, the WMO researchers added that the ocean is becoming more acidic, reaching a 26,000-year high. The report further found that snow cover, sea ice cover and glaciers also are shrinking at an alarming rate. In addition, the WMO warned that the last seven years were the warmest on record. Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, called the report a “dismal litany of humanity’s failure to tackle climate disruption.” He warned that time is running out to change course and curtail at least the worst impacts of climate change. In his video message, Guterres focused on immediate actions that could be taken in energy generation, which is considered the largest contributor to climate change. These actions require a paradigm shift, where renewable energy technologies become essential global public goods and are more easily traded and exchanged. The U.N. chief also asked for a more diversified and open renewables supply chain and emphasized the need to stop subsidizing fossil fuels. On top of this, Guterres asked for public and private investments in renewable energy to triple “before it is too late.” Petteri Taalas, the WMO’s secretary-general, said, “human-induced greenhouse gases will warm the planet for many generations to come.” “Sea level rise, ocean heat and acidification will continue for hundreds of years unless means to remove carbon from the atmosphere are invented,” he added. According to Taalas, key indicators show the growing impact of climate change on the population. “Loss and damages of more than $100 billion (€93 billion), as well as severe impacts on food security and humanitarian aspects due to high-impact weather and climate events have been reported,” he said. Lev Neretin, senior natural resources officer at the office of climate change, biodiversity and environment (OCB) at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Olive Oil Times that “weather extremes are one of the biggest drivers of food crises together with economic shocks, conflict and insecurity.” “Small-scale producers, including farmers, fishers, foresters and pastoralists, are the backbone of food security, but they are also the most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events,” he added. According to the FAO, increasing climate resilience is a top priority that relies on many different measures such as “expanding food production through climate-smart agroecology and other inclusive approaches, strengthening safety nets, diversifying livelihoods, providing critical inputs for cereal and vegetable production as well as protecting livestock with treatments, vaccinations, feed and water.” Such an approach is even more relevant where food availability is limited, and access to food is affected by rising prices. “Building resilience also requires awareness of climate and environmental risks and the effective and timely management of these risks, not just at the farm level but also across agrifood value chains,” Neretin said. “Anticipatory action is a key pillar of FAO’s work on resilience, which is a major step to shift from disaster response toward preventative and adaptive action,” he added. “In 2050, we may have almost 10 billion people to feed, and ensuring adequate food security for all while curbing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment is one of the biggest challenges we face,” Neretin c...
Part of our continuing special coverage of the 2022 N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition. For the second year running, New Zealand’s extra virgin olive oil producers earned six awards at the N-Y-I-O-O-C World Olive Oil Competition. Despite birds, the threat of frost and the lack of availability of commercial harvesters complicating producers’ 2021 harvest, they celebrated their third-highest success rate at the N-Y-I-O-O-C after producing 270,000 liters of olive oil. “I’m so pleased to see all the winners recognized for their hard work, focus on sustainable production, and great understanding of growing exceptional olives in New Zealand conditions,” Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor told Olive Oil Times. “New Zealand’s olive oil industry is small and enthusiastic.” “I’m proud to see our producers punching above their weight by creating high-quality products that compete on the world stage,” he added. “All the winners should be very proud of this achievement, and I am excited to see this vibrant industry continue to develop and innovate.” New Zealand’s biggest winner, Loopline Olives, located in the Wairarapa region on the North Island, took home two Gold Awards, extending their record of success in the competition for the fourth year in a row. “I am delighted that Loopline Olives Picual and Picholine extra virgin olive oils have once again been recognized as one of the best in the world,” owner Stephen Davies Howard told Olive Oil Times. “It is very special to have your hard work recognized in such a prestigious competition,” he added. Davies Howard said winning these awards “helps in our quest to educate more palates and lets people experience what real-quality extra virgin olive oil tastes like.” He added that the Wairarapa region’s Mediterranean climate lends his oils their unique character, and Loopline’s oils are pressed on the same day the fruit is harvested and are bottled to order. “Whether you order 250 milliliters or 1,000 liters, the quality is the same,” Davies Howard said. He added Loopline had a high yield last year, but the intensity of their oil and the polyphenol count was down on previous years. “2020 was a drought year, and it was as though the trees were compensating for a low yield the previous year and the very intense oils produced,” Davies Howard said. “We have just commenced the 2022 harvest, and after a perfect summer, things are looking good for the 2023 N-Y-I-O-O-C .” Another producer from the Wairarapa region, Blue Earth Intense, walked away with a Gold for their medium-intensity blended extra virgin olive oil. Margaret Hanson, who co-owns Blue Earth Olive Oil near Martinborough with her husband, Martin, said they were “delighted” to receive the award. “It is great to have our own judgment, and the judgment of Olive New Zealand competition panelists affirmed,” she said. “It is also great to see how New Zealand oils stack up internationally.” Hanson told Olive Oil Times that birds were a challenge during their previous harvest. “They like our fruit as much as we do,” she said. “So it is a balancing act to get the fruit to the level of ripeness we want before the birds eat too much of it.” She added that winning the award firmly establishes Blue Earth’s olive oil as a quality brand at an international standard. “The size of our olive grove – about 1,100 trees – means that we can be meticulous as to how we care for it, and our local press is fantastic about processing it very quickly and efficiently,” Hanson said. “ Much was processed within four hours of coming off the trees.” Another winner from Martinborough, the Vintiner’s Grove, earned a Silver Award for its medium-intensity Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil. Co-owner Ross Vintiner, who produces the award-winning oil under the Dali brand, said he was honored to receive the award “especially for the most competitive competition cultivar, Koroneiki.” Vintiner said Dali Estate, where the olives for the award-winning oil are grown, had the...
In the small village of Evrychou on the island of Cyprus, Atsas Organic Products is the result of the insatiable desire of George David to create an olive farm. David started the family-owned company from scratch back in 2012 by purchasing agricultural land in Cyprus’s buffer zone, also called ‘the Green Line’ or ‘the Dead Zone,’ the narrow border strip which acts as a buffer between the Greek-Cypriot and the Turkish-Cypriot communities of the island. By international standards, Cyprus is a small olive oil-producing nation with an annual yield of 2,500 to 3,000 tons of olive oil. However, the company set the bar high from the outset, being passionate about producing a distinctive olive oil to set it apart from the competition. “When we decided to enter the world of olive oil production, we didn’t want to create merely another extra virgin olive oil of high quality,” Nicholas Savvides, the company’s commercial manager, told Olive Oil Times. “We wanted to create a premium, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil to make a difference in the industry.” The conditions were ideal for the venture the company took on; due to being in the buffer zone, very close to the village of Petra, where David comes from, the acquired land had been left uncultivated for more than 45 years. It provided the perfect ground to grow olive trees. “Our land lies inside the dead zone in the Solea Valley,” Savvides said. “The soil was virtually virgin and free of any biotic and abiotic factors. Our grove gradually evolved into an eco-friendly farm that became a paradigm and a learning center for sustainable development.” After a lot of experimentation and focused research, the company achieved its ultimate purpose of producing a high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil. “In 2017, our olive oil was found to be the richest in polyphenol compounds among 7,854 olive oils from 15 countries and holds the record until today,” Savvides proudly said. “This was the greatest reward and a boost to continue our work.” Over the years, Atsas Organic Products has become one of Cyprus’s leading olive oil producers and has enjoyed a reputation for its organic olive oil. A wide range of high-polyphenol monovarietals and blends are produced at Atsas farm. The company has also marketed its olive oil as a natural food supplement available in bottles of 10 milliliters. “Olive oil is a staple food, part of our culture and tradition and one of our most beloved and familiar flavors,” Savvides said. “It helps regulate blood sugar levels and protects against heart disease and cancer.” “According to E.U. regulation 432/2012, the daily consumption of 20 grams of high-phenolic olive oil can protect the human body from oxidative stress,” he added. Atsas farm is virtually an all-inclusive establishment focused on olive oil production, featuring 30 hectares of olive groves, a modern mill and a bottling and packaging facility. “In our irrigated olive groves, we grow 6,500 olive trees of various cultivars, including Koroneiki, Kalamon and Kypriaki,” Savvides said. “We have also come to an agreement with other producers in the area to nurture their olive trees.” Atsas Organic Products has also made great strides in adopting regenerative and sustainable agriculture techniques. All operations in the olive groves, including harvesting the olives and pruning the trees, are performed using manually-operated tools or small-scale mechanical equipment to minimize the impact on the trees from using fully-mechanized harvesting methods and heavy machinery. In addition, the watering of the trees is achieved by collecting rainwater in an artificial lake on the farm to preserve the natural underground water reserves. Special care has also been taken towards preserving the biodiversity on Atsas farm. Apart from olive trees, several other types of trees, including pomegranate and fig trees and even cactus trees, flourish, promoting biodiversity and providing food to local fauna. Bird nests have also been insta...
In the wake of the recent regulation in Turkey opening olive groves to coal mining activities, a new report focused on the country’s Milas district found that the expansion of the olive oil sector represents a better alternative to mining for the local economy. The report, released by the Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe), 350 Turkey and the Milas city council, also claims that an olive-based development of Milas requires only a fraction of the financial resources absorbed for the operation of the energy-producing facilities of the area. “Unfortunately, for the last 40 years, Milas has been poisoned by the two coal power plants, and the coal mining activities have destroyed its livelihoods,” Efe Baysal, a campaigner at 350.org, an international environmental organization, told Olive Oil Times. “The report shows it is possible to develop the local economy without relying on polluters and signifies investing in olive production can be accelerated by the state subsidies granted to the two coal power plants in Milas over the course of just one year,” he added. The report stated that the expansion of Milas’ olive oil sector would also go hand-in-hand with Turkey’s climate targets. “This study shows that a 2053 net-zero compatible regional transformation for Milas is possible and realistic by revealing the potential of the olive sector alone in Milas,” Özlem Katısöz, the coordinator of climate and energy policies for Turkey at CAN Europe, told Olive Oil Times. The region of Milas, situated in the southwestern province of Muğla, has long been known for its production of olives and Milas olive oil is currently the only one in Turkey with Protected Designation of Origin status from the European Union. According to the report, 20,000 tons of olives out of the 100,000 tons Milas yields each year are left unprocessed due to inadequate olive oil-producing infrastructure. As a result, they are exported from the region without contributing to the local economy. Instead of exporting the olives, the report suggested, building new facilities to produce more olive oil and manufacture table olives would benefit the region by creating 685 new job positions and boosting the income of local producers. “If the necessary promotion and certification processes are implemented, the value of olive oil may increase from €400,000 to €5.7 million at 2021 prices,” Baysal said. However, the area also possesses a rich lignite reserve. By introducing the new mining regulation, the Turkish government plans to strengthen the country’s energy security amid high global energy prices and turbulent supply. The regulation allows olive trees to be removed to facilitate mining operations where necessary. However, it also stipulates that uprooted olive trees must be replanted elsewhere in the country. The first 30 olive trees were uprooted in Milas in late March to clear the way for coal amid outrage from the locals. However, a ruling by the Turkish Council of State, the highest-ranking administrative court of the country, has temporarily halted all mining operations pursuant to the new regulation over concerns of violating the country’s legislation pertaining to olive growing. “If we want to build a future for Milas, olive groves must not be destroyed for the sake of the coal mine,” said Katısöz. 350.org has also released a 15-minute documentary telling the story of the Milas olive sector and the controversy sparked by the new regulation. “For 4,000 years, the people of Milas have been cultivating the olive,” Baysal said. ”Today, Milas is accepted as the capital of olives and olive oil in Turkey. Even further, as our report indicates, the olive tree has a great potential to strengthen the local economy of Milas.” “These all show the olive tree is the past, the present, and the future of Milas,” he concluded. ”If we want a local economy that will honor the culture of Milas; that will activate the gastro-tourism potential of the region; that will protect the na...
The recent rain showers will not solve the long-lasting drought that has put most of California under severe water stress. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), the multi-year megadrought affecting much of the western United States has made 2020 and 2021 the worst two-year period in decades. The result has been reduced water availability, lower crop yields and rising costs for farmers. The PPIC forecasts also show that in 2022 things are poised to get even worse. The PPIC experts believe that climate change is the cause of the “increasingly dramatic swings between dry and wet conditions,” also known as “precipitation whiplash.” The last two years have been close to the driest since records began in 1895, second only to the 1976 to 1977 drought. On top of this, PPIC estimates that “unusually warm temperatures in 2021, nearly 3.5 ºF (1.9 ºC) above the 20th-century average, created an additional three to four inches of evaporative demand, or about an 8 percent increase in crop water demands.” In 2021, the economic impact of the drought was considered modest, with the exception of Sacramento and the North Coast regions. Still, in 2022, the PPIC forecasts dry conditions to persist and the economic burden for farming activities to increase. According to the United States Drought Monitor, almost 96 percent of California is now under severe drought conditions, which means that the wildfire season is longer and trees are under stress. The severe drought has become extreme in about 47 percent of the state. In such conditions, reservoirs run very low, hydropower is affected and water availability becomes insufficient for agriculture. Cary Fox of the United States Bureau of Reclamation told Wired magazine that California power plants’ reservoirs are running low. As a result, installations such as Shasta Powerplant will be able to produce around half of their full potential up to next fall, with rainfall expected to replenish the reservoirs only next winter. “If it does not rain or snow in the winter, that’s it. We kind of have one season. This year, it didn’t happen,” Fox said. The latest PPIC policy brief underlined how California agriculture relies heavily on irrigation and how low water availability might be a game-changer even if irrigation efficiency has generally improved. “Climatic and regulatory constraints have limited surface water in recent decades,” the policy brief said. “Chronic overpumping of groundwater has dried up wells and damaged infrastructure, prompting the enactment of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014.” In 2021, California farms experienced a reduced surface water delivery due to low storage levels and water rights curtailments, with “allocations from the Central Valley Project and State Water Project dropped to zero for some growers.” According to the PPIC, total deliveries for Central Valley and North Coast farms dropped by about 5.5 million acre-feet (680,000 hectare-meters) in 2021, 41 percent below the 2002 to 2016 average. That situation led many farmers to pump more water, even though there were insufficient quantities to compensate. While not all farmers have groundwater access, those who did still faced rising production costs, up to $184 million (€175 million) in higher energy bills due to pumping. The effects of reduced water availability on farming include leaving some irrigated cropland unplanted and focusing only on highly profitable crops. Other irrigated lands were also idled to sell that water to other users. As happens in many other parts of the world, local farmers are also getting used to deficit irrigation, which consists of adjusting to reduced water volumes while optimizing yields. Still, the PPIC experts warned that curtailed irrigation “can lower crop yields.” An example is the Russian River Basin, where wildfires and reduced irrigation caused a 24 percent drop in revenue. “Across impacted regions, crop revenue losses and increased pumping...