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Essential insights on the olive oil sector
On 5 November, the International Olive Council (IOC) held its 15th Statistics Working Group meeting in a hybrid format, with participants attending in person and via videoconference. This session, which takes place on a yearly basis, brought together around twenty-five statistics experts who examined current trends in the global olive oil and table olive market, analysing data from the last three crop years for olive oil, olive-pomace oil, and table olives.
The IOC underscored the importance of this information in shaping public and private strategies aimed at increasing olive oil consumption. Such insights are crucial for designing effective promotional campaigns and enhancing consumer knowledge about olive oil. Through its website, the IOC makes this data publicly available, offering stakeholders a clearer understanding of changing patterns within the olive oil sector.
During the meeting, the IOC’s Executive Secretariat – represented by Deputy Executive Director Abderraouf Laajimi and the Head of the Economic Research and Statistics Department, Juan Luis Vicente – presented this year’s published data and upcoming projects. New reports anticipated for next year will cover topics such as olive oil imports to non-member countries, organic olive oil imports from the U.S., and olive oil consumption per capita. The IOC aims to provide relevant, timely, and consistent data to support both public policy and private sector decision-making. Participants reiterated the need for high-quality, reliable information to drive forward the olive sector.
The meeting also addressed the impact of climate change on olive production. The IOC shared visuals, such as the NASA vegetation index from May 2022 to May 2023, illustrating potential climate-related threats to the olive oil sector. Experts agreed that climate change requires further statistical study to evaluate its impact and guide future action.
Vegetation index, May 2022 compared to May 2023 (NASA).
The statistics specialists were invited to present their methodologies for processing data and to discuss the current state of olive cultivation in their respective countries. Topics included production trends, olive-growing areas, national development plans, sectoral challenges, and the effects of pricing on production and consumption. A proposal was also put forward for the establishment of a voluntary ad-hoc group composed of IOC member country representatives to provide proposals and encourage initiatives in the fields of data exploitation and presentation, including the construction of indicators.
The information gathered at this meeting serves as a valuable resource for stakeholders across the olive oil sector, supporting informed decision-making and highlighting the ongoing commitment of the IOC to advancing knowledge and resilience in the face of evolving global challenges.
Since its establishment in 1959, the IOC aims to provide accurate, reliable, and timely statistical data to support strategic decisions in the olive oil sector, making it the most trusted source for information and trends in the industry.
