Türkiye expects record olive yield despite climate challenges

BALIKESIR

Türkiye is expected to see a record yield of table olives this year, with production estimated at 750,000 tons, despite challenges posed by the climate crisis.

Mustafa Tan, head of the National Olive and Olive Oil Council, stated that alongside the 750,000 tons of table olives, the country expects to produce 475,000 tons of olive oil for the 2024-2025 season.

"Recently, due to drought conditions, it takes about 6 to 7 kilograms of olives to produce just 1 liter of olive oil. On average, when you think about the whole season, we estimated that this ratio is 1 in 6 and when we divide 2,850,000 tons by 6, an olive oil yield of 475,000 tons is estimated. This also surpasses the record of 421,000 tons in 2022-2023, two years ago.”

Speaking to reporters in the western province of Balıkesir’s Edremit district, Tan explained that Türkiye’s olive production sector has evolved its approach to better predict yields, introducing more field studies and working in coordination with the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

“Our country is in a great breakthrough in olive cultivation. In the 2022-2023 season, it ranked second in the world after Spain,” he noted.

This year, Türkiye’s olive sector benefited from favorable conditions, unlike Spain, which suffered severe droughts. Tan highlighted the positive results, saying, “This year’s yield results are very promising, and I wish for it to continue to be beneficial for our country.”

However, the climate crisis has also forced some adjustments. Olive exports were restricted in previous years to prioritize domestic consumption, though rising global olive oil prices led to a surplus of 100,000 to 150,000 tons in storage this year. Tan pointed out the challenge, saying, “Exports did not reach the expected levels last year, creating a stock coming from there.”

Despite these issues, Tan remains optimistic. “These results are not final, but they are estimates. We will review them again in December,” he said, adding that the hopes Türkiye will once again make a name for itself globally in olive production, as it did two years ago.