Portugal is the country in the world that produces the best quality olive oil thanks to the significant improvements in infrastructure and production practices that have meant that, by 2022, 98% of Portuguese olive oil will be classified as Virgin or Extra Virgin. These are the conclusions of the most recent update of the study 'Olivicultura: O motor da (r)evolução agrícola nacional', developed by the consortium Consulai and Juan Vilar Consultores Estratégicos for the Association of Olive Growers and Olive Oil Mills of Portugal - OLIVUM.
According to the study, which has now been updated for the first time since 2019, Portugal will be the third largest olive oil producing country in the world in around two years' time. In fact, over the last four marketing years, the increase in national productivity has been much greater than that of the other main producing countries, which has allowed Portugal to rise from 9th to 6th largest producer.
The increases in the production and quality of Portuguese olive oil are largely due to the fact that the country's mills have benefited from strong industrial investment in technology over the last few decades. This development has led to olive production in Portugal increasing by more than 250% between 2011 and 2021, and has made it possible to triple the average productivity of olive groves over the last 20 years, as a result of the introduction of new production techniques, such as irrigation, which have led to greater olive profitability.
"Portugal is now one of the international leaders in this industry: it has eight of the ten mills in the world that process the largest volume of olives and three of the five most technologically advanced mills. These results are the fruit of our commitment to innovation and modernization which, combined with the enhancement and protection of biodiversity and the adoption of sustainable best practices, have placed us in a leading position worldwide," says Susana Sassetti, OLIVUM's Executive Director.
The study also reveals that the adoption of good practices is not only limited to increasing the production and quality of national olive oil, but also has a significant impact on sustainability. Some examples of this include the increase in CO2 capture by olive groves, the introduction of plant cover between the rows, which improves biodiversity and soil quality, and the water efficiency of irrigated olive grove crops, one of the major concerns of olive growers, along with the application of phytopharmaceuticals.
Source: Voz do Campo, 9 July 2024
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