According to the report of the Turkish Exporters Assembly – Economic Research Branch;
According to the International Trade Center (ITC) data, olive production worldwide has had an annual growth trend of 10% since 2001.
According to 2018 data, according to International Olive Council data, in the 2018-2019 period, Spain ranks first in olive production with 613 thousand tons, followed by Egypt with 450 thousand tons, Turkey with 420 thousand tons, Algeria with 342.5 thousand tons, and Greece with 190 thousand tons.
The provinces with the highest olive and olive oil production are Aydın, Balıkesir, Muğla, Manisa, Hatay and İzmir, respectively.
Significant results from the table:
Spain alone can export olives as much as other countries combined.
While Turkey realizes 5.5% of global production, it can export 20 thousand tons annually. This number is 1075 tons for Spain, the leading country of production, and 95 tons for Greece.
World olive oil exports are 43% – 3.9 billion $ in Spain, $ 1.7 billion in Italy, $ 822 million in Tunisia, $ 785 million in Portugal, $ 774 million in Greece, and $262 million in Turkey with a rate of 2.9%.
The biggest buyers (importers) in global consumption are Italy (500 thousand tons) and the USA (315 thousand tons).
In summary;
Turkey, which ranks 3rd in olive production, is behind Greece and Morocco, which have less production in global exports.
Since a large proportion of the olives produced in the world for olive oil production, olive oil production has become crucial.
Turkey, which ranks 5th in olive oil production, lags behind countries such as Tunisia and Portugal, which have less production in global exports.
Turkey has potential in olive and olive oil production due to its agricultural area and location. We think we have a long way to go in olive oil exports.
We have to explain better the benefits of olive oil to human health and promote its production.
Source: International Trade Center – 2019