Olive oil "drying up", production decline, prices rise, export curbs

2025-12-14 08:23:00, Ekonomi CNA

Drought, lack of mechanization and high costs are leading this year to a drop of up to 50% in olive production compared to last year. Olive oil prices for collection have increased from 11 to 56% due to the lack of production. Farmers are demanding subsidies for mechanization and irrigation, while processors are demanding the equalization of VAT to zero, and a reduction in the costs of analysis through state laboratories.

In the administrative area of ??Shirgjan and in the four other administrative units of Elbasan, so far it has been found that production has decreased by less than 50% compared to the previous year.

The main causes of the decline in production, according to him, are atmospheric conditions, especially the drought that prevailed during the summer season, and the biological cycle of the plant.

Farmers' services to olive groves, although with difficulty, have not been lacking, but the head of the Agricultural Federation of Elbasan, Mr. Çakalli, underlines that the lack of mechanization of the process remains another factor that hinders the increase in production.

The situation with olive production is similar in other areas of Albania.

In almost three decades, according to INSTAT data, from 1998 to 2024, it turns out that olives have had significant fluctuations, both in production and yield.

In this period, the highest amount of olive production was reached in 2022, with a quantity of 157.7 thousand tons of olives or 43% more than the previous year. The production yield was 17.2 kv/ha or 4.7 kv per ha more than in 2021.

In addition to 2022, the high amount of olive production was also achieved in 2012, especially after the subsidy measures taken by the government from 2009 to 2013. In 2012, 108 thousand tons of olives were produced, with an increase of 65% compared to 2011.

In 2023, the amount of olives produced reached 117.6 tons of olives. Compared to 2022, olive production fell by 25%. The production yield also decreased by 4.8 kg per ha in 2023, compared to 2022.

In 2024, according to INSTAT data, 146.7 thousand tons of olives were produced. Compared to 2023, the amount of production increased by about 25%. In 2024, the olive production yield reached 15.2 kv/ha. Compared to 2023, the yield decreased by 2.8 kv/ha./Monitor