Portugal should become the third largest olive oil producer in the world and the seventh largest in surface.

It is estimated that in the next decade Portugal will be “the third largest olive oil producer in the world” and the seventh largest in surface. These predictions appear in the study “Alentejo: leading international modern olive growing,” which will be presented at the 6th edition of the Olivum Days in Beja, organized by the Southern Olive Growers Association.

According to this study, Portugal and, in particular, Alentejo are the country and the region with the best characteristics for the development of the wold’s modern olive culture. In the region of Alqueva, the surface area of olive trees occupies 55 thousand hectares, with 90% of modern olive trees.

Today, Portugal is the 9th largest in surface area of olive trees, the 7th major olives producer and the world´s 8th largest olive oil producer. At present, the country has 361 thousand hectares of olive trees, from which about 135 thousand tons of olive oil are extracted. The text states that this amount corresponds to 9% of the value of national agricultural production.

However, there are different types of olive grove. The modern olive trees already account for 62.8% – 119 thousand hectares in crown and 108 thousand hectares in hedge – and the traditional olive grove is in the 37.2% (134 thousand hectares).

In 1999, the modern olive trees represented only 2% of the total olive grove area. Nowadays, it represents 63%. In other words, in the last 20 years, the Portuguese olive grove suffered a deep transformation: from non-competitive traditional olive grove to an efficient modern olive trees.

In 2006, for example, Portugal was able to produce 362 000 tonnes of olives, but 11 years later that figure had risen 2.5 times, accompanied by an improvement in olive productivity, which quadrupled in 18 years, the study says.

Alentejo

The study indicates that the Alentejo olive grove has grown, in the last 11 years, about 10% and already ensures 75% of olive production. To clarify, since 2007, Alentejo became the main region producing olives.

In the region of Alqueva, the surface area of olive trees occupies 55 thousand hectares, with 90% of modern olive trees. Not to mention that, the investments in olive trees represent 46,5 % of total investment in Alentejo´s agriculture (€ 655,7 million).

Source:  PLATAFORMA, DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS