Record harvest of olives needed to weather the storm

THERE has been a record harvest of olives this winter with production totalling over 1.56 tons.

But this bumper crop could be necessary to weather the storm after low rainfall and frost this winter has damaged predictions for the coming year.

The agricultural syndicate Asaja insists that with less than a fifth of the average rainfall this winter, next year’s harvest will likely only produce half the amount of olives leading to a drop in olive oil production.

The group argues that this year’s oil must therefore last for two years.

And it is now calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to persuade Brussels to authorise storage of supplies in a bid to balance the market and maintain higher prices for this years surplus crop.