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Analyses
Olive oil in the Mediterranean area: production, consumption and trade
G io va n ni A n ani a
University of Calabria, Italy
M ar ia Ros a r ia P u po D ’ A n d r e a
INEA (Italian National Institute of Agricultural Economics), Calabria Regional Office
Olive oil is the single globally consumed product most closely linked to the Mediterranean area. In this
paper we discuss recent trends in olive oil production, consumption, trade and relevant policies; in the
final section we identify what we believe to be the key factors for future market developments.
Production
World production of olive oil has reached slightly
under 2.8 million tons (biennial average in
2008/09), a much larger market compared with the
beginning of the decade (+6.6%) albeit growing at
a slower pace than in the 1990s. The growth in the
main producing countries is uneven, however. Since
2000/01 olive oil production in Spain, by far the
world’s major producer, has experienced an
irregular pattern, with a notable reduction in the
middle years of the decade, followed by an upswing
which limited the overall drop in production to 5.5%
(with a consequent reduction of Spain’s world
market share from 45.8% to 40.5%).
This trend should be viewed, however, in the
context of the uneven pattern of overall growth of
olive oil production in Spain that began at the start
of the 1990s. As regards the other major European
Union (EU) olive oil producing countries it is worth
underlining the basic stability of production in the
last decade in Italy and a slight contraction in that
of Greece.
When considering the trend in production in Spain,
Italy and Greece in recent years, one must not
forget the radical reform of the EU domestic policy
for olive oil that led, in 2006, to the complete
decoupling of support from production. The
expected effects of this reform were a reduction,
over the course of a few years, in production and an
improvement in the quality of the oil produced.
If we compare production in the four-year period 2002-2005 with that of the four years after the new
regime came into force (2006-2009), we find an increase in production in Spain, Portugal and France
and a reduction in Italy and Greece. It is rather more difficult to assess the impact of the reform on the
quality of the olive oil produced, if it has already taken effect. Meanwhile, production has continued to
grow in almost all non-EU producing countries at a high steady rate. Within this overall expansion in
world production Tunisia, for example, has witnessed an increase in its share of production from 2.8% in
2000/01 to 5.9% in 2008/09 (though still much less than the figure of over 11% at the beginning of the
1990s); in the same period Morocco went from 1.4% to 3.1% and Syria from 5% to 5.9% (with a
slowing down in the latter case from the growth rates observed in the 1990s). The performance of the
Other Mediterranean Countries as a whole is also significant; production increased steadily in Algeria,
which covers 40% of the group’s production, Libya and Lebanon, whereas Jordan, the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT), Egypt and Israel experienced a reduction. Finally, the quota of the Rest of
the World has continued to increase, from 0.4% of world production to 1.3%, driven by the production
growth in Argentina, which is responsible for 2/3 of the overall production of the group, and Australia.
C I H E A M
General Secretariat
11 rue Newton
75116 Paris
France
+33(0)153239100
www.ciheam.org
T h e C I H E A M
W a t c h Le t t e r
Editorial Director
Francisco Mombiela
Secretary General
CIHEAM
---
Editor in chief
Sébastien Abis
CIHEAM-GS
---
Editorial Assistant
Karin Hartleib-Monnet
CIHEAM-GS
---
Scientific Committee
Elena Kagkou
CIHEAM-GS
Martine Padilla
CIHEAM-MAIM
Nicola Lamaddalena
CIHEAM-MAIB
Antonio
Lopez-Francos
CIHEAM-MAIZ
Georges Baourakis
CIHEAM-MAICH
Contents of this issue:
Dossier: Olive growing in the Mediterranean
- Analyses
Olive oil in the Mediterranean area: production,
consumption, and trade, by Giovanni Anania (University
of Calabria, Italy) and Maria Rosaria Pupo D’Andrea
(INEA, Italy), p.1
Organic Olive Growing and Environment in Greece, by
Charikleia Minotou (IFOAM, Greece), p.6
China: an emerging market with high potential, by
Yvette Lazzeri (University of Aix, France), p.8
The “Olio del Libano” project: activities, results and
outlook, by Enrico Azzone, Eustachio Dubla and Biagio
Di Terlizzi (CIHEAM-MAI Bari), p.11
Value Chain and Price Formation in the Spanish Olive
Oil Sector, by José Miguel Herrero Velasco (MARM,
Spain), p.13
Morocco: Agro-pôle Olivier, Meknes, by Noureddine
Ouazzani (ENA Meknes, Morocco), p.17
- Interview Jean-Louis Barjol (IOC), p.19
Activities in the MAIs, p.21
Mediterranean publications and events, p.25
Latest CIHEAM’s publications, p.26
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Source: FAOSTAT
Note: when no information for a specific year was available the figure is that for the year for which information was available
Consumption
Global consumption of olive oil has continued to increase in recent years at a steady pace. Between 2000
and 2007 the annual growth rate was, on average, 2.4%, similar to the rate observed in the 1990s. In
2007 world consumption exceeded 2.8 million tons, compared with nearly 2.4 million tons in 2000 and
1.9 million tons in 1990. In the period 2000-2007, among the major consuming countries, the USA
experienced a higher rise in consumption (+32.6%) than the rise in overall world consumption
(+18.2%); in Italy and Spain the rise was smaller, but still significant (+11.4% for both countries). In
all three countries the increase in consumption is associated with increases in per capita consumption,
higher in the USA (from 0.7 kg per capita in 2000 to 0.85 in 2007) and Italy (from 13 to 14 kg) than in
Spain (from 11.6 to 11.8 kg). As regards the other major consuming countries, consumption has been
basically stable in Greece, where in more recent years the previously declining trend has been reversed
(with per capita consumption increasing from 15.6 kg to 15.9; in 1990 was 17.5).
There has been a marked increase in France (+26.3% between 2000 and 2007), where the trend, first
observed in the 1990s, to greater per capita consumption has also been maintained, and Morocco
(+109%). Among the other Mediterranean countries, we find a reduction in consumption between the
years 2000 and 2007, following a decade of growth, in Syria, Tunisia and Jordan. On the other hand,
since the end of the 1990s, there has been an inversion of the negative trends in Lebanon and Libya,
with an increase in olive oil consumption, whereas Turkey and Algeria show a marked cyclical trend in
consumption over the period in question within the overall context of moderate growth. Moreover, the
strong growth of consumption, first observed in the 1990s, both in the other European countries and in
the Rest of the World group has been maintained in recent years; for the former group of countries the
share of world consumption has passed from 4.5% in 1990 to 7.3% in 2000 and 10% in 2007, for the
latter group the share has increased from 3.5% to 7.1% and, finally, to 9.2%, respectively. The increase
in olive oil consumption in these countries has been determined, above all, by the rapid increase in per
capita consumption confirming, once again, the trend begun in the previous years: for example, between
2000 and 2007 per capita consumption increased from 0.7 kg to 0.86 in the UK, from 0.4 to 1.04 in the
Netherlands, from 0.8 to 1.05 in Canada and from 1.4 to 2.06 in Australia.
Olive Oil - Consumption (1000 tonnes)
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Italy
744.201
751.068
775.205
780.44
805.8
830.077
828.505
829.276
Spain
466.636
475.247
479.735
493.004
514.545
518.762
549.744
519.907
USA
198.252
208.493
216.455
205.516
234.38
237.172
239.489
262.92
Greece
170.474
168.48
177.532
177.22
176.513
176.317
166.157
176.757
France
82.609
97.629
96.213
96.874
99.306
98.402
100.051
104.361
Syria
131.983
129.988
135.22
123.547
119.926
108.583
116.245
103.952
Morocco
43.394
44.723
69.32
58.579
82.232
25.832
65.782
90.694
Others Europe
174.07
180.361
193.98
219.396
275.734
251.477
254.48
281.212
Others Mediterranean
201.612
204.824
178.451
192.978
273.779
172.681
235.616
188.323
Rest of the World
170.25281
175.49887
183.12563
181.617
222.4498
231.26528
224.60923
259.27221
Total
2383.48381
2436.31187
2505.23663
2529.171
2804.6648
2650.56828
2780.67823
2816.67421
Source: FAOSTAT
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Spain
1187.3
1124.5
1143.0
1227.3
912.4
956.0
1139.3
1114.8
1121.4
Italy
540.5
574.2
587.7
697.5
732.9
637.3
588.8
569.1
575.8
Greece
355.3
341.9
378.3
348.1
353.9
386.0
351.9
323.2
330.4
Syria
130.4
145.0
149.3
153.0
162.6
187.7
175.3
127.3
162.3
Tunisia
72.5
51.0
176.0
205.0
170.0
195.0
190.0
188.1
163.1
Turkey
125.0
112.5
120.0
112.5
130.0
126.0
139.9
121.1
121.6
Morocco
37.5
47.5
52.5
72.5
75.0
62.5
75.0
75.0
85.2
Others Mediterranean
97.8
93.6
94.1
113.0
113.6
96.2
90.8
92.2
109.7
Others Europe
41.3
48.1
47.8
55.6
55.4
56.6
56.9
53.8
64.0
Rest of the World
10.0
10.2
15.1
20.8
27.0
28.3
28.1
32.7
36.1
Total
2597.4
2548.6
2763.7
3005.2
2732.7
2731.6
2835.9
2697.2
2769.5
Olive Oil (virgin) - Production (1000 tonnes) – Biennial Average
C I H E A M
Founded in 1962,
CIHEAM
is an intergovernmental
organisation comprising
thirteen member
countries from the
Mediterranean Basin.
CIHEAM
is made up of a
General Secretariat
(Paris) and four
Mediterranean
Agronomic Institutes
(Bari, Chania,
Montpellier and
Zaragoza).
In pursuing its three
main complementary
missions (post-graduate
specialised education,
networked research
and facilitation of the
regional debate),
CIHEAM has established
itself as an authority
in its fields of activity:
Mediterranean
agriculture, food and
rural development.
At present,
Mr Abdelaziz Mougou is
CIHEAM’s President and
Mr Francisco Mombiela
Muruzabal is its
Secretary General.
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Trade
Olive oil exports appear to be much more highly concentrated than production; in the year 2008 global
export market share (in volume) for the three major producers (Spain, Italy and Tunisia in order of
importance) was 84.5% and it has grown over the years. Notwithstanding the extreme variations of its
exports over time, Tunisia seems to maintain a comfortable hold on third place among the key players;
indeed, in recent years its exports have been roughly double those of Greece.
World trade in olive oil continued to grow steadily up till 2004, after which it suffered a slight decline.
Exports increased from 994,500 tons in 2000 to 1.489 million in 2004, dropping subsequently to 1.311
million by 2008 (the figure for 1990 was 562,300 tons). The fall in overall exports of olive oil between
2004 and 2008 was largely determined by the performance of the three main exporters (Spain, Italy and
Tunisia), while exports of other countries continued to rise, albeit at different speeds and with different
regularities. Yet, despite this decline, when we look at the value of international trade (calculated in
current prices expressed in US dollars) we find that the overall value of trade continued to grow, even
when there was a drop in volume, thanks largely (but not solely) to the strong euro. The value of
international trade in olive oil grew between 2000 and 2008 at an average annual rate of 12.9%, due to
the strong increase in the average unit value of exports. The expansionary dynamic in the quantity
traded was sustained by Spain (+6%) Tunisia and Portugal (both +5.1%); meanwhile, among the other
major exporters, Italy and Greece saw a reduction in their exports, though this is less pronounced for
the former (-0.2% per year, on average), than for the latter (-3.7%). Exports of other Mediterranean
countries record, for the same period, an average annual increase in quantity of 6.5%; yet, the market
share of these countries, although increasing over the years, remains quite small (3.1% in 2008). It is
worth noting the different performance of the two main countries from the aforementioned group, Syria
and Turkey.
Source: FAOSTAT
In the period in question Syria showed an average annual increase of 34%, while Turkey’s annual
growth remained at 2%. If we compare developments between 2000 and 2008 with those in the
previous decade, in the overall context of a slowing down in the expansionary trend of world exports
(+5.9% per annum in the previous decade, +3.5% between 2000 and 2008), only Spain among the
most important players experienced an acceleration in the speed of growth in its exports (a +5%
average annual increase in the years 1990-2000, followed by a +6% average annual increase in the
period 2000-2008). All the other main exporters experienced a reduction in the annual rate of growth,
for example in Tunisia from +8.6% to +5.1%, or, indeed, in the case of Greece (+1.9% to -3.7%) and
Italy (+10.9% to -3.7%) an actual drop in their exports.
The trend in world imports of olive oil, which inevitably reflects that of exports, is the result of the
dynamics of production, consumption and, in the case of countries like Italy, that are at one and the
same time important exporters and importers of olive oil, exports. All the major importers experienced a
growth of imports between 2000 and 2008, albeit to differing degrees. The highest rate of growth is
found in Spain, though the volume remains quite small, and in the other European countries not among
the major importers. The differences in rates of growth have determined variations in market shares.
Between 2000 and 2008 Italy, by large the number one world importer of olive oil, experienced a
marked reduction in its share of global imports, from 41.3% to 34%, while, at the other end of the
scale, the European countries that are not among the major importers, as a whole, saw their share of
world imports rise from 4.7% to 8.9%.
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Spain
400.1
453.5
567.5
513.8
648.7
528.3
495.9
620.8
636.6
Italy
307.3
272.2
290.2
277.4
427.3
430.9
394.1
291.1
303.1
Tunisia
113.9
94.5
22.5
39.9
211.2
109.4
272.8
172.6
169.0
Greece
104.1
178.2
74.2
96.7
43.3
98.8
105.6
96.1
77.3
Portugal
21.5
21.5
18.4
17.4
23.9
26.0
25.7
31.5
32.0
Others Europe
9.2
12.5
16.3
15.4
16.8
18.1
19.5
21.3
20.0
Others Mediterranean
24.7
96.7
31.5
114.2
98.8
175.1
124.2
125.5
40.9
Rest of the World
13.7
11.2
15.2
21.4
19.6
43.9
28.0
33.3
32.5
Total
994.5
1140.2
1035.6
1096.2
1489.6
1430.4
1465.8
1392.2
1311.3
Olive Oil (virgin) - Exports (1000 tonnes)
N ew P re si de nt o f
C IH EA M
At the last meeting of
the CIHEAM Governing
Board, held on 20
December in Tunis,
Professor Adel El-
Beltagy was elected
President of the Board.
He will begin his four-
year term as President
of CIHEAM on 1 April
2011, succeeding
Abdelaziz MOUGOU.
Adel El-Beltagy is
currently Chairman of
Egypt’s Agricultural
Research and
Development Council
(ARDC) and Professor at
the Agriculture Faculty
at Ain Shams University
in Cairo.
He was Director General
of ICARDA from 1995 to
2006 and chaired the
Global Forum on
Agricultural Research
(GFAR) from 2006 to
2010.
Internationally
renowned for his work
and scientific
publications, he is a
member of the Institute
of Egypt.
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Source: FAOSTAT
Trade Policies
Export subsidies for olive oil have not been used by the EU since 1998. Imports of olive oil from most
Mediterranean countries enjoy preferential access, which differs from one country to another, under the
form of duty free import quotas and preferential tariffs. Nevertheless, these are not the only relevant
trade policies to be considered and on their own they are unable to explain the geography of trade flows
between the two sides of the Mediterranean. In fact, a large part of EU imports from other
Mediterranean countries takes place under IPRT (Inward Processing Relief Traffic) conditions. Within the
context of the IPRT scheme it is possible to import olive oil into the EU duty free provided that the same
quantity (and quality) of oil is subsequently re-exported after undergoing processing inside the EU,
which could even be only bottling.
As regards 2008 and 2009, years for which the most recent data are available, table 1 reports total
imports into the EU by type of olive oil, for each Mediterranean country, imports under the IPRT regime,
the volume of duty free import quotas in place and imports which can be assumed to have taken place
under Most Favoured Nation (MFN) conditions. Tunisia benefits from a duty free quota of 56,700 tons for
virgin olive oil. In the two years considered imports of this type of oil reached 127,900 tons in 2008 and
82,200 tons in 2009, 80% of which took place under the IPRT scheme in 2008 and 72% in 2009. Thus,
in both years considered, the preferential duty free import quota was used for only approximately 40%.
In 2008 Jordan enjoyed a quota of 7,000 tons of virgin olive oil; in that year imports of that type of oil
reached 647 tons, 62% of which under the IPRT scheme. In 2009 the quota was raised to 9,500 tons but
imports declined to 220 tons, only 2% of the quota (in that year there were no imports under the IRPT
scheme). One should add that Jordan enjoys duty free access for other types of oil, but in the two years
considered there were hardly any imports of those either.
The same holds for Lebanon, which benefits from a duty free quota of 1,000 tons for certain types of
olive oil, while other types have duty free access. In 2008 and 2009 overall exports to the EU from this
country did not exceed 105 tons. The case is similar for Morocco and the OPT. Syria and Libya, on the
other hand, do not enjoy preferential access conditions to the EU, i.e. their imports are subject to MFN
conditions. In 2008 imports from Syria reached 14,526 tons, 62% of which under the IPRT scheme. In
2009 total imports dropped to 1,291 tons, with only 9% occurring under IPRT. Most Libyan imports take
place under MFN conditions. Neither Egypt nor Israel enjoyed preferential access conditions in the two-
year period under consideration, and their exports to the EU, which in any event are very small, took
place for Egypt mainly under IPRT, and for Israel under MFN conditions.
Starting in 2010 these two countries have been granted duty free access for certain types of olive oil
which, however, in the previous two years represented only a small share of their already slight olive oil
exports to the EU. Finally, Turkey benefits from a preferential tariff of 7.5% within a quota of 100 tons
for virgin olive oil. This quota was fully utilised in both years, but most imports (1,200 tons in 2008 and
4,500 tons in 2009) concerned other types of olive oil and almost entirely entered under the aegis of the
IPRT scheme.
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Italy
462.8
492.8
520.1
485.5
691.7
566.4
554.8
495.0
485.1
USA
194.3
205.6
215.2
206.8
237.1
248.0
232.1
253.6
243.6
France
82.7
97.7
96.6
95.8
99.2
97.1
100.6
105.2
109.4
Germany
31.8
36.9
39.8
38.2
44.6
47.3
48.0
58.6
51.6
Portugal
38.0
49.5
44.4
53.6
57.3
60.0
63.8
70.2
45.5
United Kingdom
43.8
35.8
34.0
51.3
91.4
53.5
52.6
54.9
61.0
Brazil
26.2
23.6
22.1
21.4
23.7
27.0
27.5
35.5
42.8
Spain
24.3
26.6
10.4
37.7
107.8
112.6
128.0
59.8
53.6
Japan
27.3
29.2
32.3
30.8
31.7
32.7
29.8
28.3
29.6
Others Mediterranean
16.7
25.0
27.6
16.0
6.8
4.9
5.2
11.8
11.7
Others Europe
52.8
66.7
76.0
82.0
97.2
99.4
107.8
125.4
127.3
Rest of the World
119.4
123.1
124.1
129.3
159.7
166.8
168.3
202.1
166.1
Total
1120.1
1212.4
1242.4
1248.3
1648.3
1515.6
1518.4
1500.3
1427.2
Olive Oil (virgin) - Imports (1000 tonnes)
S ci en ti fi c
A dv is or y
C om mi tt ee
The composition of the
CIHEAM’s Scientific
Advisory Committee
(SAC) was changed in
December 2010 in
accordance with the
policy of rotating
representatives of
CIHEAM member
countries.
The outgoing members,
Foued Chehat
(INRA, Algeria),
Mohamad Talal Farran
(AREC, Lebanon) and
George Attard
(University of Malta)
are to be replaced with
Prof. El Houssine Bartali
(IAV Hassan II,
Morocco), Dr. Luis
Lavadinho Telo da Gama
(INIA, Portugal) and
Sami Reda Saber Sabry
(Agricultural Research
Centre, Egypt).
The SAC will meet on 11
and 12 April 2011 in
Zaragoza.
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The conclusion one can draw from the above is that it is by no means obvious that preferential access,
even if duty free, is the most convenient import regime; the conditions to be satisfied linked to the use
of a duty free quota and the IPRT scheme determine a country’s choice of option. Indeed, most EU
imports of olive oil occur duty free, within a preferential quota or, more frequently, under the IPRT
regime, and only a small proportion (in the years 2008 and 2009 it was less than 5%) are subject to the
payment of a tariff. While preferential duty free access affects the relative competitiveness of imports
from different countries, the IRPT scheme affects the volume of olive oil imported by the EU, with the
decision on where to import from based solely on considerations to do with competitiveness (price and
quality).
Key factors for the future of olive oil markets
In our opinion the two most important factors defining the medium term scenario of olive oil markets
are: developments on the demand side, and the evolution of the relations between actors along the
supply chain. One can expect that the growth in demand will continue in the years ahead, especially in
countries that are not traditional consumers but also in those with a tradition of consumption, both
developed and developing. The growing demand will be accompanied by a rise in the demand for olive
oils differentiated based on quality characteristics (e.g. extra virgin olive oil, olive oil with a geographical
denomination, and organic olive oil). The growth in the quantity and variety of oils consumed, in terms
of their qualities, will doubtless depend as much on the dynamics of demography and per capita incomes
of individual countries, as on the effectiveness of marketing campaigns promoting consumption.
Production will also increase; the role of supply factors should not be underestimated, even if they seem
less important in shaping future scenarios than developments on the demand side. One possible
exception is consumer driven developments in the quality of the olive oils produced. Increased
production in non traditional producing countries (e.g. the USA), rather than being a threat for
exporters, will be a stimulus to faster growth of these markets.
The other key factor to shape future developments in olive oil world markets will be structural changes
in the industry. The increasing concentration of the bottling industry and the growing importance of the
role played by multinational firms, on the one hand, and the increasing concentration in the retail sector
and the growing importance of olive oil sold under retailers’ own private labels, on the other, will make
the market structure even more imperfectly competitive, with the growers being the weakest actors
because of their limited market power compared with the other actors. A more marked product
differentiation based on specific quality characteristics and more effectively implemented and promoted
protection schemes for geographical indications (including “country of origin” ones) are the best options
available to help olive oil producers improve their bargaining position vis-à-vis other actors along the
chain. Such measures would help them to capture a fairer share of the retail price of the oil they produce
and lead to increased sales.
Table 1- Olive oil. Europea n Union. Imports from Mediterra nean countries: prefere ntial duty free quota s, imports under "Inw ard processing relief traffic" (IPRT) provisions
and imports which apparently occurred a t MFN conditions (t; 2008, 2009).
Imports in 2008
Total
imports
Imports
of refined
olive oil
(150990)
Imports of
virgin olive
oil
(150910)
Imports of
other olive
oils (1510)
Duty free import
quota, refined
olive oil
(150990)
Duty free import
quota, virgin
olive oil
(150910)
Duty free import
quota, other
olive oils
(1510)
Total
imports
under
IPRT
Imports under
IPRT, refined
olive oil
(150990)
Imports under
IPRT, virgin
olive oil
(150910)
Imports under
IPRT, other
olive oils
(1510)
Imports which
apparently
occurred under
MFN conditions
Algeria 14 14
Egypt* 486 433 54 430 430 56
Israel** 64 36 29 064
Jordan1649 0647 27000 406 406
Lebanon2101 29 72
Libya 1026 117 910 117 117 909
Morocco 1126 31123 334 334
Occ. Palest . T. 146 146 3000
Syria 14526 271 8848 5407 8913 269 8644 5613
Tunisia 135859 7950 127909 056700 116513 7802 103304 5407
Turkey31438 1224 215 0100 1212 1207 5226
Imports in 2009
Total
imports
Imports
of refined
olive oil
(150990)
Imports of
virgin olive
oil
(150910)
Imports of
other olive
oils (1510)
Duty free import
quota, refined
olive oil
(150990)
Duty free import
quota, virgin
olive oil
(150910)
Duty free import
quota, other
olive oils
(1510)
Total
imports
under
IPRT
Imports under
IPRT, refined
olive oil
(150990)
Imports under
IPRT, virgin
olive oil
(150910)
Imports under
IPRT, other
olive oils
(1510)
Imports which
apparently
occurred under
MFN conditions
Algeria 29 13 17
Egypt* 93 489 088 88 5
Israel** 31 229 31
Jordan1222 1220 29500
Lebanon266 22 44
Libya 1564 87 1476 87 87 1477
Morocco 1996 1538 458 1506 1506
Occ. Palest . T. 146 146 03000
Syria 1291 1139 1151 121 121 1170
Tunisia 85234 3049 82184 056700 64286 3409 59726 1151
Turkey34713 4489 224 0100 4569 4468 101 144
1 EU imports of refined olive oil (150990) and other olive oil (1510) from Jordan are granted quota and duty free access.
2 EU imports of refined olive oil (150990) and other olive oil (15100090) from Lebanon are granted quota and duty free access.
3 EU imports of virgin olive oil (150910) from Turkey are granted on preferential tariff of 7.5%.
Notes
* Since 1/6/2010 the EU imports of olive oil (1509 and 1510) from Egypt are granted quota and duty free access.
** Since 1/1/2010 the EU imports of refined olive oil (150990) and other olive oil (1510) from Israel are granted quota and duty free access.
Source: EU Commission, COMEXT.
3920
1000
1000
3920
1000
1000
A lb an ia n
D el eg at e
t o th e CI HE AM
G ov er ni ng B oa r d
At the last meeting of
the Governing Board,
held on 20 December in
Tunis, CIHEAM
welcomed the new
Albanian Delegate, Ms
Ariana Misha, Head of
the European
Integration Department
at the Albanian Ministry
of Agriculture.
She succeeds Mr Sali
METANI who had held
this position since 1991,
the year Albania joined
CIHEAM.
6
T
Th
he
e
C
CI
IH
HE
EA
AM
M
W
Wa
at
tc
ch
h
L
Le
et
tt
te
er
r
W
Wi
in
nt
te
er
r
2
20
01
11
1
-
-
N
No
o
1
16
6
Though domestic and trade policies will be an important factor for the future of the market, their role will
be less important than is often assumed. The reform of the Common Market Organization for olive oil
with the decoupling of support from production is expected to lead in the course of time, ceteris paribus,
to a reduction in EU production of olive oil and an improvement in its quality. Trade policies have a
limited impact on trade in the Mediterranean basin, as almost all EU imports already take place duty
free.
Hence, the completion of the process of trade liberalisation in the Mediterranean is unlikely to have a
major effect on the volumes of olive oil traded, but will rather lead to a diversion of EU imports, i.e.
changes in the flow of imports from different Mediterranean countries. For the same reason the
conclusion of the Doha round, should it come to pass, will affect the trade in olive oil with countries
outside the area, but will have little impact on intra-Mediterranean trade. In conclusion, market
development, quality, product differentiation and effective marketing will be the key words in identifying
the challenges for public as well as private players in the years to come.
Giovanni Anania and Maria Rosaria Pupo D’Andrea
Organic Olive Growing and Environment in Greece C ha ri k le ia M in ot o u
President of AgriBioMediterraneo, IFOAM
Today Greece is one of the most important organic producers in the European olive growing sector.
Organic agriculture in Greece arose in the early 1980s and has continued to grow to this day. According
to the latest Eurostat figures it accounted for 4% of the total agricultural area in Greece. The land is
mainly used to produce permanent crops, arable crops and as pasture. As Greece is situated in the
Mediterranean, agriculture is adapted to the Mediterranean climate and olive groves, vineyards, citrus
fruits and vegetables enjoy pride of place. Greek olive products such as olive oil, table olives, olive pate
and cosmetics are recognized worldwide for their quality.
Greece is also well known for the quality of its environment. Twenty-one percent of the total surface of
the country belongs to the Natura 2000 network. Natural resources, biodiversity and protected areas
have priority status in national and European environmental policy and legislation. As a result organic
agriculture effectively helps to protect the environment and promote rural development. The
Mediterranean landscape has been well protected in the past decades and olive groves are an essential
part of this landscape.
Olive growing in Greece
In Greece the organic olive sector produces olive oil, table olives, olive pate and cosmetics. Olive trees
are cultivated first for olive oil and secondly for table olives. Greece is regarded as a high-quality
production area. Throughout Greece olive growing predominates and olive trees are to be found in the
Peloponnese, Crete, Ionian Islands, Aegean Islands and western Greece. Greek olive products have
unique organoleptic qualities and are rich in polyphenols, which is why Greek olive oil has such a good
reputation. Organic olive cultivation accounts for 55% of all organic agriculture in Greece (with olive oil
accounting for 51% and table olives for 4%. According to the most recently published data from the
Greek Agricultural Ministry (2007) olive groves make up a total of 51,922.75 ha. According to statistics it
is estimated that 20% goes into the domestic market and 80% is for export. Of all the organic products
consumed, 30% is from domestic sources and 70% is imported.
Organic olive growing requires healthy soil, sustainable farming practices, respect for natural resources
and biodiversity, environmental friendly plant protection techniques, and storage and processing
methods that have low environmental impact. In Greece the main olive variety for oil production is
Koroneiki although other varieties are grown locally in some regions. The Kalamata and Amfissis
varieties are most frequently used as table olives. The plantation density of the old olive groves
amounted to just 160 trees/ha whereas the new plantations can provide for as many as 480 trees/ha.
