Egypt Ranks First in the World in Production of Table Olives

Egypt ranked first in the world in the production of table olives. For the first time in the last season, the country bypassed Spain. It supports the hopes of companies in developing their exports in the coming years, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture of Egypt.

In the last season, Egypt’s production of table olives increased to 690 thousand tons compared to 497 thousand tons in the previous season. In the meantime, Spain produces about 500 thousand tons annually, which used to be in the first place throughout the past years.

A report by the Spain-based International Olive Council showed last season, world table olive production in Egypt increased by 13.87% to 2.925 million tons. Comparatively, the previous season totaled 2.569 million tons.

According to the data, Egypt produces about 16% of the global production of table olives. The percentage represents more than 50% of the production of European countries combined, which in turn produces 30% of the worldwide output.

Egypt to Double Productivity

In 2015, Egypt initiated an olive planting program. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of Egypt, planted 100 million olive trees.

The increase in Egyptian olive production productivity in the recent period had enhanced competitive opportunities in global markets. It contributed to lower prices and the ability to enter new markets, said Mohamed Amin, Director of Export at Quality Standard Food Industries.

He explained the increase in domestic production would contribute to attracting new investments in olive processing.  Luckily, there is increasing external demand in the olive markets, especially from the United States of America, Canada, and the Arab Gulf countries.

Egypt raised its markets to 23 countries, led by India. Even though olive in India is mainly imported from Spain, the low price of the Egyptian product attracts New Delhi.

Egyptian olive entered the East Asian Market last year. Olive oil is a new product in the consumer culture there. Therefore, it gives Egyptian products an excellent competitive opportunity. More than that, Brazil has an increasing demand for olive.

Chamber of Commerce in North Sinai aims to promote investment in olive cultivation in the governorate. It is currently studying the recruitment of delegations from abroad.

Abdulaziz Matar, President of the Chamber of Commerce in North Sinai, pointed out that Egypt has many desert-back areas. They are very suitable for developing agriculture. Border provinces in North Sinai and Matrouh give the country a promising opportunity to double productivity.