Good prospects for olive production

South African olive producers can expect a good harvest this coming season, both in terms of quality and yield, due to “good flowering” taking place in most areas following sufficient rainfall, according to Karien Bezuidenhout, manager at SA Olive. She said producers now needed to manage their water resources well so that the trees could receive adequate water during critical fruit development stages.

The past year had been challenging as rain had been delayed, which resulted in lower yields. However, an excellent-quality crop was harvested, with about 1,5 million litres of olive oil being produced compared with approximately 1,4 million litres in 2017, Bezuidenhout said.

As demand still exceeded supply, prices would likely remain stable, she said. “On-shelf prices have increased due to increased production costs and general economic conditions, such as the price of fuel and the depreciation of the rand. But due to all the health benefits associated with extra-virgin olive oil, consumers still receive a good return on investment.”

Another challenge for the industry was “fraudulent” imports. Bezuidenhout explained that some imported olive oil was marketed as “extra virgin”, but was, in fact, not extra-virgin olive oil. SA Olive had the Commitment to Compliance (CTC) scheme in place that required producers to submit the oil produced to a tasting panel to certify its authenticity. Therefore, consumers could be assured that they were indeed buying extravirgin olive oil if the CTC seal was displayed on a specific product.

Angola, Mozambique and Mauritius were promising markets for exports due to the southern European olive oil consumption heritage there, while niche premium markets in the US and Europe were also expanding, she said. – Siyanda Sishuba