MARKET NEWSLETTER No 52 – August 2011
EXPECTATIONS FOR THE 2011/12 SEASON Olive oil A number of member countries have already sent in their estimates for the 2011/12 crop year. The emerging picture is one of higher production than the season before, provided weather conditions remain favourable. In the group of European producers, Spain expects to produce 1 400 000 t (2% up on the season before) while Greece anticipates producing 310 000 t (+3%) and France 5 700 t, practically the same tonnage as in 2010/11. Outside the European Union, Syria estimates it will produce 200 000 t (+11%) and Tunisia and Turkey both expect to produce 180 000 t, recording respective year-on-year increases of +50% and +12%.
Table olives Production of table olives also looks set to be higher in 2011/12. Although estimates are lower than the season before for some European countries such as Spain and Greece, this decrease is expected to be offset by higher production in Syria (165 000 t = +16%), Iran (45 000t = +88%), Turkey (450 000 t = +36%) and lastly Egypt, where table olive production is expected to reach a record 500 000 t, soaring by +150% from the previous crop year. According to official Egyptian sources, the olive industry in Egypt is oriented towards table olive production. Over the last three decades, the country’s olive growing area has expanded from 3 700 ha in 1980 to 71 428 ha in 2010. Egypt was one of the very few countries to start using micro irrigation systems at a time when nearly 96% of the world’s olives were cultivated under rainfed conditions. At present, over 90% of the country’s total olive area is irrigated. Egypt has extensive experience in olive irrigation, especially in using poor-quality aquifer water. A National Olive Development Plan is currently being prepared for satellite image surveying of the olive area and subsequent on-the-ground verification of the distribution of the olives according to purpose (oil/table/dual purpose).
US/Canada promotion campaign moves forward As we told readers in our previous market newsletter, the US/Canada olive oil and table olive promotion campaign was announced on 11 July 2011, coinciding with the Fancy Food Show in Washington DC. The campaign launch is to take place on 12 September during the Fashion Week at New York’s Lincoln Centre. Under the Add some life slogan, the launch will feature the presentation of the campaign website, interaction with social networking sites and the presence of chef Michael Schwartz. Visit http://www.internationaloliveoil.org/estaticos/view/417-ioc-promotion-campaign-in-north-america-2011-2012 for the calendar of activities.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE: +13% IN FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 2010/11 In the first eight months of 2010/11 aggregate imports by the six countries listed in the table below rose by 123 440 t (+13%) compared with the same period the season before. In the nine months between October and June, imports increased into Brazil (+23%) Canada (+7%) and the USA (+9%) versus the same time span a year earlier. Conversely, Australian and Japanese imports fell by a respective 1% and 12%. EU data are not yet available for June, but the figures for the first seven months of the season show a rise of 16% from the year-before level for the same period.
Source: International Olive Council
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MARKET NEWSLETTER No 52 – August 2011
MOVEMENTS IN PRODUCER PRICES Graphs 1 and 3 track the weekly movements in the producer prices paid for extra virgin olive oil and refined olive oil in the top EU producing countries. The monthly price movements for the same two grades of oil and refined olive-pomace oils are shown in Graphs 2 and 4 respectively. •
Extra virgin olive oil: Comparison with the same period of the year before shows that prices have dropped by 4% in Spain (€1.89/kg), held steady in Greece (€2.04/kg) and climbed by 35% in Italy (€3.57/kg) – Graph 1. A closer look at recent developments shows that prices in Italy have dipped after hitting their highest ever level in the 20th week (€3.92/kg) and that the 4% drop in prices in Spain follows a long period of stability. These movements may be related to the release of the first estimates for 2011/2012.
Graph 1
Graph 2 Source: International Olive Council
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MARKET NEWSLETTER No 52 – August 2011
Refined olive oil: Over a 12-month period, the prices of refined olive oil have fallen by 6% in Spain (€1.71/kg) and 3% in Italy (€1.83/kg) (Graph 3). No data are available for Greece.
Graph 3
Graph 4
Source: International Olive Council
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