Drought and ill-timed rain lead to poor harvests in Uruguay

Published Jul 2, 2024

Tridge summary

Uruguay is experiencing a significant decline in olive oil production due to two years of drought and adverse weather conditions during harvest. Production is expected to drop by 78% in 2024 compared to the previous year and 72% below the five-year average. This has led to a surge in prices as the country imports a majority of its supply from Argentina, Italy, and Spain. Despite the challenges, some producers have seen increased production from recently planted trees. The International Olive Council is bringing the Mario Solinas Awards to Uruguay in August, despite the disappointing harvest, with efforts to include more small producers from the Southern Hemisphere.

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Original content

Two years of historic drought followed by rain during the harvest and the olive tree’s natural alternate bearing cycle have resulted in a significant production decline in the small South American country of Uruguay. Gonzalo Aguirre, the award-winning producer of Olivares de Santa Laura and president of the Uruguayan Olive Association (Asolur), estimated that production would fall to 500,000 liters (458 tons) of olive oil in 2024, a 78 percent decrease compared to last year’s bumper harvest and 72 percent below the five-year average. “There was a very, very low harvest,” he said. “It was partially due to the drought last year, which did not allow the shoots to be ready to grow olives. Also, the harvest was negatively influenced for some producers because it rained a lot, and they lost olives.” Laura Da Trindade, the director of Sabía in the southeastern inland department of Lavalleja, confirmed that this year’s harvest was significantly below the previous one. “Our harvest was ...

Source: Olive Oil Times