Olive oil supply in Australia surges after the drought despite wet weather issues

In 2020 national olive oil production was only 25 to 30 per cent of average production levels. A year later the industry is looking at what could be its best harvest yet - despite wet weather issues plaguing some growers. Australian Olives Association president Michael Thomsett said the industry had seen three years of declining production during the drought - a scarcity of oil leading to wholesale prices rising by close to 20 per cent at the end of last year. This year has seen good volumes overall, although oil percentages per olive were down from the normal 20pc to the mid-teens, with some growers harvesting earlier than optimal given the threat of frost or disease. "In parts of NSW there were issues with wet weather - difficulty in access, disease in susceptible varieties and some instances where the olives were too wet and didn't take up the calcium, creating a condition called soft-nose, particularly in table olives," Mr Thomsett said. "There's also been isolated frost ...