After two bad olive harvests, producers in New Zealand anticipate a rebound

With growers in New Zealand preparing to start harvesting in late March, some are looking forward to a better outcome after a second-consecutive production decline last year. New Zealand produced 125,000 liters of olive oil in 2023, down from 180,000 liters in 2022. The poor harvests came after bumper crops in 2020 and 2021, when the country produced 200,000 and 270,000 liters, respectively. In December 2023, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) reported rainfall well above normal levels in certain areas, contrasted by below-normal levels in others. According to NIWA data, producers will not have to contend with the extreme rainfall that marred their harvest last year, the country’s eighth wettest on record. “After a couple of wet seasons, particularly last year, when it was so wet that two-thirds of our growers couldn’t get machinery into their groves, we are quietly optimistic this season is going to be better,” Emma Glover, Olives New Zealand’s ...