This year's olive harvest is predicted to be larger than last year. This will help reduce prices for olive oil, which have increased significantly during the 2023 season. What do farmers predict?
The olive harvest season begins in October in the lowlands and in November in the mountains. Agricultural workers report that this year's harvest will be larger than last year.
The chairman of the Pan-Cyprus Agriculture Association, Kyriakos Kailas, told the Cyprus News Agency that conditions this year are favorable for the growth of olives. However, you should exercise caution in your forecasts as weather events can still affect the outcome.
Farmers named insect parasites and lack of water as the main problems in caring for olive trees.
So, this year hot weather and drought threatened the harvest. Agricultural workers requested additional water for irrigation. Although the farmer himself pays for this water, it is more profitable for him to water the trees and get a bountiful harvest than to save on water and get few fruits.
Kyriakos Kailas noted that in recent days problems with water shortages and water outages have begun to arise. If a solution is not found, the harvest may suffer.
In addition, olive producers have to deal with pests. Dacos flies like to feed on the fruits of trees. When the temperature is favorable, this species lays eggs in the fleshy part of the olives. As a result, the fruits fall off, but even if the larvae have already hatched and left the fruit, the taste and acidity of the olive have already been altered and the quality has deteriorated.
Regardless of the exact harvest forecast, members of the Association believe that the price of olive oil this year will be lower than last year. The market value is set by countries with large olive oil production, such as Spain, Italy and Greece.
The secretary of the Association of Agricultural Workers for the Nicosia region, Thomas Thomas, suggests that the producer price this year will be around 6-7 euros per kilogram of olives. Last year the price reached 8-9 euros per kilogram.
Especially in September, farmers monitor the number of dacos flies. As hot temperatures drop and humidity increases, the population can increase and cause more damage.
Another interesting fact is that only 30% of the sale of olive oil goes into the pocket of the manufacturer. The markup is formed by intermediaries and sellers.
The text was prepared based on materials from Sigma
More interesting things
“Broken” olives are a traditional Cypriot snack. These are olives that are first pressed a little so that they burst, and only then marinated. You can try them at the annual festival, which is held in Episkopio in September. What other gastronomic events can be expected at the beginning of autumn can be judged by last year’s schedule.
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