Olio Capitale in Trieste

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Preparations are in full swing for "Olio Capitale", the first and only specialised Italian fair entirely dedicated to olive oil. From 18 to 21 March 2011, visitors and exhibitors representing the entire extra virgin olive oil supply chain from the most significant Italian regions (Sicily, Apulia, Tuscany, Liguria, Molise, Umbria, Calabria and small quality producers from Friuli Venezia Giulia) and foreign countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, etc.) will gather in Trieste. While it is true that similar exhibitions are also held elsewhere, they usually present oil in the wider context of food specialties or wine. "Olio capitale" is the only fair dedicated exclusively to olive oil.

This year's fifth edition sees some important changes – i.e. its organisation has been moved from Fiera Trieste to Aries, an ad-hoc agency of the Trieste Chamber of Commerce – while retaining some continuity with its past edition. The successful approach adopted in the previous years will be maintained and special attention will be paid to trade visitors, the matching of supply and demand, contact opportunities for domestic or foreign producers and buyers, including, for the first time, Australian buyers also.

Just a few weeks after the 2010-2011 olive season has come to a close, we are able to take stock of the olive oil production and provide an overview of the trends that will be presented at the expo.

Looking at some geographical macro-areas, production in the European Union has remained stable at about 2 million tons for some years now and also North Africa has started to slow down, except for Morocco. This year's winners are the Middle East countries, where production has recovered remarkably with significant volumes.

Among EU countries, no significant changes have occurred since the previous year. Production has reached 2.1 million tons with Spain as the main contributor with a production of about 1.4 million tons. The olive harvest was satisfactory everywhere, including Greece where production recovered after last year's wildfires, with Crete accounting for 30% of the domestic production, corresponding to about 300 000 tons. Also Portugal performed extremely well with a production hovering between 60 000 - 80 000 tons, while France is lagging far behind with as little as 6000 tons.

According to a survey carried out by Teatro Naturale, a partner to "Olio Capitale", Italy has produced about 300 000 tons with significant differences from region to region. Its Southern regions fared well, especially Apulia, Calabria and Sicily, while Central and Northern regions experienced some problems.

In Apulia, the best results were obtained in Salento and Gargano, whereas production sunk slightly in the area around Bari and Andria. However, the region enjoyed a good olive season as a whole. The only problem for Italy and Spain was the adverse climate at end of season, which partially affected olive quality for those growers who failed to harvest when weather conditions were definitely more favourable.

The olive season was not particularly satisfactory in the European Union and neither was in North Africa, due in particular to the poor performance of Tunisia, where production has decreased by 20% since last year. Drought has hit the Central and Southern part of this country, affecting tree yields. The harvest was more abundant in the North, where oils with a more fruity flavour are usually produced. In Morocco, production remained within average national values amounting to about 80 000 tons of oil. Production increased by approximately 20% in Algeria, totalling 50-60 000 tons.

In the Middle East, production increases were most remarkable in Syria (150 000 tons) and Turkey (160 000 tons) with +20% and +9% up respectively since last year. Both countries are gaining the limelight as dynamic and growing areas in terms of quantity and growth. However, their oil is not going to be distributed in Italy, according to the experts of Teatro Naturale, as it is either used to meet the growing domestic demand or exported to consuming countries like the United States. Teatro Naturale's overview of olive oil producing nations ends with Israel (9000 tons) and Iran (8000 tons), which have doubled and tripled their production since last year, respectively.

This scenario will be reflected in the olive oils presented by exhibitors at the 5th Edition of "Olio Capitale" to the droves of visitors flocking from all over Italy and abroad. Growth prospects for the extra virgin olive oil market should remain unvaried if compared with last year.

During the expo in Trieste, a wide range of discussions and presentations on the economic outlook for the olive oil industry will be held. This exhibition of speciality and quality olive oils has indeed become a landmark for many businesses.

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