Tunisia records rebound in olive oil production despite drought

Tunisia’s olive oil production surged to 220,000 tons in the 2023/24 crop year, according to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries. 

This represents a notable increase from the previous year's output of 180,000 tons but slightly lags behind the five-year average, as reported in Olive Oil Times.

The rebound comes despite rising temperatures and persistent drought.

Experts credit the rebound to changes in how olive orchards are managed. 

“Production in Tunisia has become more sophisticated,” Karim Fitouri, the founder of Olivko told Olive Oil times. “It is up to date. There are more than 1,700 mills in the country, most of which have the latest technology, and traditional mills are becoming less prevalent.”

Government officials are reportedly encouraging producers to take advantage of high olive oil prices and export the commodity as quickly as possible. 

The country has been trying to increase export revenues by selling bottled extra virgin olive oil instead of selling its oil in bulk to European countries where it is often blended with other varieties and marketed as European olive oil.