Olive oil production will reach a new record during the 2017-18 season, in Tunisia.
The national oil office (ONH) indicated that the oilseed’s volume is expected to be 280, 000 tonnes during the period under review, well beyond the 5-year average of 190, 000 tonnes and the International Olive Oil Council’s initial estimates of 220, 000 tonnes
Shipments should pursue the momentum recorded at the beginning of this year, reaching 200,000 tonnes by the end of the season, next October.
For the record, at the end of March, Tunisia exported 110, 000 tonnes of olive oil in bulk and collected TND1.13 billion ($473 million) as revenue.
Tunisia which is the second country in the world in terms of area devoted to olive tree growing, after Spain, exports about 80% of its production.
he export markets for packaged olive oil are Canada (28%), France (26%), the United States (10%), Saudi Arabia (8%), Brazil (7%).
The quantities of olive oil exported in bulk amounted to 102, 809 tonnes, compared to 42, 483 tonnes in the same period of the previous season, an increase of 142% in quantity and 182% in value.
Spain leads the export markets for Tunisian olive oil in bulk, with 35% of the quantities sold, followed by Italy (34%), the United States (17%), France, Morocco, Portugal (4%), Saudi Arabia and Seychelles (1%), according to data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries.
TunisianMonitorOnline (MNHN)
