Table olives, rising demand and Italy resorting to imports

Maybe it is because of the olive in the Martini or because they are increasingly the protagonists of aperitifs, but production and consumption of table olives in the world are growing. Italy produces about 77 thousand tonnes a year and almost half (36 thousand) exports them. But, as is also the case for extra virgin olive oil, domestic production is not enough to cover consumption. In fact, the purchase volumes in Italy amount to about 149 thousand tonnes. So one has to resort to imports.

World production, on the other hand, is about 3 million tonnes, 829 thousand within the European Union. Numbers illustrated in Castel Madama (Rome) during a meeting dedicated precisely to the table olive sector entitled 'Towards a European federation to strengthen the sector', a meeting organised by Assom (which brings together Italian table olive producers). The association, founded in 2016, has been a member of Assitol (the association of Italian olive oil industries) since 2023.

"Ours is a restricted sphere, a production niche but a very vital one," explained the president of Assom, Angelo Moreschini. Although we represent 2% of the entire world production, our potential is enormous. Table olives are becoming increasingly popular and now consumption is also growing abroad. The phenomenon does not only concern traditional olive-producing countries and goes well beyond Europe. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Canada, in fact, are the biggest buyers of a product linked to Italian style and the Mediterranean Diet.

If the potential for growth is significant, so are the criticalities of the sector, which is undersized and fragmented and struggles to meet the demands of an expanding market. "Table olive growing can grow," concluded Assom's president, "but to do so we need to team up with our EU partners and make our voice heard in Brussels.

'Table olives,' concluded Assitol director Andrea Carrassi, 'are both traditional and modern at the same time and play a leading role in different spheres: in the home kitchen, in restaurants and pizzerias, in the happy hour that young people like. This versatility represents a great resource, which it is right to exploit'.