Climate chaos wreaks havoc on Chilean harvest

Published Sep 27, 2024

Tridge summary

Chile's olive oil production has dropped by 29% in the 2024 season to just 15,000 metric tons, its lowest level since 2013, due to adverse weather conditions caused by El Niño and heavy rains during the harvest season. This decrease is even more significant, being 33% below the five-year average. The production challenges varied across the country, with the Coquimbo area experiencing severe damage and virtually no production, while other regions faced normal production levels but early rainfall and frost. Despite these challenges, Chilean exporters have seen a 50% increase in FOB value exported in the first half of 2024, largely due to higher prices in Europe and the Americas resulting from poor harvests in the Mediterranean. Brazil and the United States remain the primary export destinations, with Spain in third place. Although olive oil prices in Chile have risen significantly, demand has remained stable, indicating a strong consumer value for olive oil.

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Original content

Olive oil production in Chile has fallen to its lowest levels since 2013 after high springtime temperatures and rain during the harvest hampered farmers and millers across the country. “Olive oil production during the 2024 season reached 15,000 metric tons,” said Gabriela Moglia, the general manager of ChileOliva, a producer association. “This represents a decrease of 29 percent concerning the tons of oil obtained in 2023” and is 33 percent below the five-year average. “The main challenges were the intense rains in the harvest months,” Moglia added. According to Jorge Astudillo, an olive oil production consultant, high winter and spring temperatures associated with El Niño in the country’s north damaged many olive trees as they were blossoming. “Production in the Coquimbo area, 300 kilometers north of Santiago, in particular… has practically come to zero or near zero,” he told A ambos lados de la mesa, a podcast. “It is a very important area… Twenty percent, if not more, of the ...

Source: Olive Oil Times