The olive grove is around 12 million hectares in the world

In 1983, the first study was carried out to record the area of olive groves on the planet, according to strategic consultant Juan Vilar. On that date, there were 20 countries with almost 7 million hectares in production, almost 100 percent of which were traditional and rainfed or with insufficient water supply. Of the total, less than eight percent was irrigated. Likewise, the consumption of olive oil extended little beyond the producing countries. Today, after 40 years of evolution and expansion, there are 11.7 million hectares of olive groves producing olive oil, which is consumed in 198 countries, that is, throughout the planet. This expansion of the crop has occurred mainly on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the entire strip located between the 35º and 45º parallels, these being the traditional latitudes for this crop. Although, due to the sophistication of the crop, as well as the climatic moderation, it has spread outside this range, expanding to the 25º and 47º ...