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India imported 5,938 metric tons of olive oil in 2011, mostly from Italy and Spain, compared to 3,988 metric tons during the period in 2010, according to customs data. While that amounted to a 49% increase over the previous year, it is still an extremely small amount of olive oil for a country of one and a quarter billion people. Most of the growth was for olive pomace oil – the lowest edible grade of oil made from olives – which jumped by 131% during the period.
L’association Française Interprofessionelle de L’Olive, (AFIDOL) the interprofessional association for olive oil in France, held a general assembly in Nice to outline the activities for the past year and to assess the results at the end of its three-year mandate. The private organisation set up in 1999 works with French olive growers, 230 private and public millers, commercial agents, table olive producers and olive tree nurseries to improve and develop the production, processing and marketing of French olive oil.
The program for the 2012 National Olive Industry Conference & Expo, being held at West Lakes, Adelaide, will be printed earlier this year than previously. The mid-September publication date will ensure a wider dissemination of information prior to the Conference and increased coverage for Exhibitors taking part in the Trade Expo, and also provide greater opportunity for growers/producers to organise their attendance. If you are considering exhibiting at the event then you will need to have registered before August 30. Listing information and promotional support material must also be provided no later than August 30 to ensure inclusion in the printed program. To obtain an Exhibitor pack please contact Leana Head at [email protected] or phone (08) 8573 6545.
Perth City Farm Growers Market has a great history. A not-for-profit community farm and education centre, it has vegetable gardens and chickens, and will soon have a beekeeper. The farm in place, they launched a growers market selling farm produce and letting stalls to other growers, largely organic and biodynamic. Penny Mossop has grown her Wambyn olives at York, 100km east of Perth, since 1995.
Which olive oil farms are thriving and which ones are diving – and why – is the focus of a new European Commission report. Covering the three main EU producers – Spain, Italy, and Greece – the “EU olive farms report” analyses trends in cost, margin and farm income in the decade to 2010. The short answer is that income has been on a more or less drastic decreasing trend everywhere except Extremadura and Sicily. Not only that but the average income of olive oil farms is significantly lower than the average for all farms.
Despite a small decline during the recession, increasing consumer demand for olive oil has kept production growing over the past five years. As a result, more operators will become USDA-certified.
The September issue of Consumer Reports ranks 23 varieties of extra-virgin olive oil from the US, Argentina, Chile, Greece and Italy. According to a taste test of 138 bottles, some of the better-known brands like Bertolli scored low, while others like Trader Joe’s California Estate took top honors. Consumer Reports noted that more than half the oils tasted fermented or stale, while only nine met the criteria to be considered “flawless.”
The largest fast food chain in Greece, Goody’s, is preparing all of its meals using olive oil instead of palm oil, and only extra virgin on their salads. The company called the policy a big step forward and said its menu was characterised by “great variety and the carefully selected ingredients founded on the values of Mediterranean cooking.” The 2009 oil change took two years of preparations, and it was the first time that a restaurant chain started to use olive oil exclusively. Goody’s has become Greece’s leading restaurant chain, despite the competition from powerful multinational rivals like McDonald’s.
Entries are now open for the Royal Canberra Extra Virgin Olive Oil Show, with judging to be held on 1 September 2012. Closing date for entries and oil delivery is 15 August. Winners will be announced at a presentation cocktail and tasting function at Exhibition Park, Canberra. Pre-purchase of tickets is essential. More information https://www.rncas.org.au/OliveOil/site/ or contact Suzanne Coulton on 0415 401 541.
Import duties on a number of food items were reduced by Israel’s Finance Minister in July – but local olive producers have successfully lobbied for imported olive oil to be excluded from the list, in a bid to boost the flailing local industry. Producers put pressure on members of the Kedmi committee, the commission looking into ways to reduce the cost of food in Israel, not to cut duty on imported olive oil brands, saying that such a reduction would deliver a blow to the local industry. They claim the local industry is in a precarious state and that imported oils are 15% to 20% cheaper than local products.