Title: Olive Oil Exports Boom Out of Spain, Producing 40% of Global Supply in Andalucía Alone
Headings: Spain’s Olive Oil Industry Export Turnover Exceeds 2 Billion Euros
Spain’s Olive Oil Industry Export Turnover Exceeds 2 Billion Euros
Katrina Pirner
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Content: In 2017, olive oil was Spain’s leading agricultural export. Spain accounts for more than half of the EU’s five million hectares of olive plantations, which employ 35 percent of the country’s farm workers. Most of Spain’s olive oil production is centred around Andalucía, an autonomous region along the southern coast. With around 500 companies exporting olive oil from Andalucía, the region supplies a whopping 40 percent of the globe’s olive oil supply. There are several factors that explain Spanish olive oil’s robust export performance. The most obvious explanation is the industry’s high quality. Indeed, last April Spain came second in the prestigious NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition. The country’s olive oil producers have also benefited from the popularity of the Mediterranean diet. This health trend has helped sustain demand for olive oil even as consumption in Spain has fallen. Notably, while olive oil exports within the EU have decreased, pomace olive oil exports have actually expanded.