Producers of olive oil in South Africa celebrates a record harvest

Published 2021년 9월 14일

Tridge summary

South Africa's 2021 olive oil harvest is expected to match last year's record yield of 1.5 million liters, with some areas even seeing higher yields. Despite challenges like drought, power cuts, and Covid-19 safety measures, many farms are reporting good quality and high yield. However, the increased costs of production due to these challenges and the higher wage rates might affect profitability. The outcome varies greatly between farms, with some struggling due to drought conditions while others have converted to organic farming and are hoping for a better 2022 harvest. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the sales and logistics of olive oil transportation, and the hospitality sector's recovery is affecting retail sales of specialty food items.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

When South African producers started harvesting in late February, the yield was not expected to surpass last year’s total. However, the 2021 harvest is now on par with 2020, in which 1.5 million liters of extra virgin olive oil were produced, and some are calling it a record harvest. Vittoria Jooste, manager of the South African Olive Industry Association (SA Olive), originally estimated the yield would reach 1.36 million liters, but has since revised her estimate. “[The harvest is] broadly in line with last year,” she told Olive Oil Times. “Our current estimate for the 2021 harvest is 1.6 million liters of olive oil.” Jooste added that 113 extra virgin olive oils have been entered into the SA Olive Awards, which “is a good indication of the quality of the 2021 South African extra virgin olive oils.” Nick Wilkinson, who co-owns the Rio Largo Olive Estate with his wife, Brenda, in the Western Cape province’s Scherpenheuwel Valley, said they had an “excellent harvest in both ...

Source: Olive Oil Times