Greek Olive Oil
Olive oil has always been a significant factor in the Greek economy, and almost every report, study and piece of research on the country’s agricultural sector makes a separate reference to it.
A new report released by the Exporters Association of Northern Greece (SEVE) reviewed and analyzed the export data from 2018, showing that olive oil was the main driving force behind the growth of Greek agri-food exports this year.
Standard olive oil, on the other hand, remains robust in its own right, maintaining a volume of more than 30,000 tons of exports each season during the recent years, compared to only 15,000 tons of exports in the past.
“We have overtaken the limit of 30,000 tons of bottled olive oil,” Grigoris Antoniadis, head of SEVITEL, the association of olive oil bottlers of Greece, said. “In two to three years we aim to go beyond 50,000 tons. The dynamics exist and we are positive that we can achieve our goal. After all, the [international] market and exports of olive oil continuously grow, while the internal market shrinks.”
Even so, the increase in exports of olive oil and other food products in 2018 was not reflected in the penetration of new foreign markets, according to the Association of Greek Industries. Penetration into these markets remained low, due to the fact that world exports are increasing at a higher rate than Greek exports, which are still being affected by the repercussions of the 2008 financial crisis, and can not keep pace with competitors.
