Greece requests aid for expected drop in olive oil and table olive production

Greece has made an official request to the Council of the European Union to receive financial aid for oil olive oil and table olive producers hit by the extreme weather conditions that prevailed in parts of the country during the last six months. The request was based on the reduced fruition of the olive trees recorded in seven producing regions, which is expected to dramatically reduce the production of table olives and olive oil in these areas ahead of the 2021 harvest, the country asserted. “The exceptionally low temperatures of the spring frost events were followed by the heatwaves of May and June, with temperatures approaching 40 °C,” the Greek delegation to Brussels told the Council. “These weather conditions, combined with almost no rainfall, occurred during a very sensitive stage in the olive cultivation, the flowering and the fruiting,” the delegation further explained. ​“Under these circumstances, olive trees showed flower fall and fruit fall.” “As a result, we are ...