Olive oil production is expected to increase production by 20 to 30% in the season 2017/2018, compared to the previous two seasons, CEO of the National Oil Board (ONH) Chokri Bayoudh said Tuesday, recalling that this new season will start from the month of November 2017.
Speaking at a press conference held prior to the start of the first meeting of the National Commission to organize and monitor the olive harvest season, Bayoudh promised that the harvest would exceed production levels recorded over the last five years, which has been around 190 thousand tons.
The official, however, refrained from presenting figures on the harvest, specifying that the final forecast would be announced during the month of October.
Tunisian olive oil exports will exceed 200 thousand tons during the 2017/2018 season, said Bayoudh.
He added that Tunisia will capture new promising markets, including Canada, the USA, China, Russia and India.
In the same context, he said that Tunisia is working to gradually move away from traditional European markets, including Spain and Italy.
The annual average of olive oil exports reached 45 thousand tons in the last ten years, or 80% of the domestic production, with revenues of around 850 million dinars (MD).
“At the end of July 2017, olive oil exports amounted to about 71,617 tons, generating revenues of around 679,338 MD, against exports of 78,336 tons with revenues of 590,480 MD, during the same period of 2016, “stressed the Minister of Agriculture
