22 Jan Australian Olive Oil – An Overview 2019
Global production of olive oil:
The top producers of olive oil by country1 are (1000s tonne):
1 International Olive Council- December 2018
Ref: https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/production3_ang.pdf
2 Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook (Hort Innovation)
Australian olive production snapshot:
- Olives are grown throughout temperate South Eastern and South Western Seaboard regions of the continent. However, two regions in particular account for an estimated 70 per cent of Australia’s current production i.e. north-central Victoria and north of Perth Western Australia.
- Australian Industry estimates around 10 million trees are grown on 450 commercial groves covering more than 30,000 hectares, with 70 per cent of the olive trees concentrated in 20 groves.
- Australian olive oil production is estimated at 19,736 tonne (21.5 million litres) from 118,750 fresh tonne in the 2019 season, up from 9,390 tonne (10.3 million litres of oil from 52,165 fresh tonne in 2018 (AOA data), demonstrating the biennial bearing pattern of olive production in Australia.
- Australian olive oil production represents only 0.6% of total global production which for the 2018/19 year was 3,131,000 tonne of olive oil produced from 10 million hectares.
- Australian consumption of EVOO has risen from 63% of olive oil sales in 2017 to 65% in 2019. The key drivers of this growth are health and quality.
- Imports of olive oil in 2018/19 was 33,274 tonne (36 million litres) and increase in ‘off’ crop years of Australian production.
- Australian apparent consumption of olive oil in 2019 was 50,707 tonne (55 million litres). This equates to consumption of 2.1 litres per person per annum.
- Australian olive oil production is typically 85% to 90% EVOO classification, depending on seasonal events – in contrast to Mediterranean production where only 25% is EVOO, 25% VOO, and 50% Lampante (requiring further processing) classification.
Major Exporters of Olive Oil:
The top exporters of olive oil by country1 are (1000s tonne):
1 International Olive Council- November 2018
Ref: https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/importations3_ang.pdf
2 Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook (Hort Innovation)
Australian olive oil exports2 in the 2018-2019 reporting period was 2,304 tonne, with a total value of A$16.1 million.
Australian domestic and export market conditions remain challenging for table olive producers with Australian supermarket shelves dominated by cheap imported products. However, the Australian Dollar (A$)[1] has significantly depreciated against the euro (EUR) from a high of 0.86 in August 2012 to a low of 0.62 in November 2019. The lower Australian Dollar serves to make imports more expensive, exports more competitive, and applies upward pressure on domestic wholesale prices.
[1] OzForex: https://www.ofx.com/en-au/forex-news/
Major Importers of Olive Oil:
The top importers of olive oil by country1 are (1000s tonne):
1 International Olive Council- November 2018
Ref: https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/exportations3_ang.pdf
2 Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook (Hort Innovation)]
Olive Oil Imports to Australia:
The top source countries of olive oil to Australia by country2 are (1000s tonne):
2 Global Trade Atlas (Hort Innovation)
According to IOC1 data, Australia imported between 25,000 and 30,000 tonne of olive oil in each of the last 5 years, reaching 33,274 tonne in the 2018/19 reporting year, or 3.8% of world imports. Australian ranks as the 7th largest importer of olive oil.
Spain stands out as the main supplier to Australia in the 2018/19 reporting period, with 71% of the imported volume (23,657 tonne), followed by Italy with 17.5% (5.824 tonne), Greece with 4.6% (1,519 tonne), Turkey with 2.0% (649 tonne), Tunisia with 1.6% (525 tonne), Lebanon with 1.2% (405 tonne). The remaining source countries total 2.1%.
Australian apparent consumption of olive oil (domestic production plus imports, minus exports) for 2018/19 is estimated at 50,707 tonne or 2.1 kg / person, with imported olive oil comprising around 60% of Australian domestic consumption.