Olive oil sales have decreased by 20.32% in the first months of the year, up to 125.7 million liters sold, according to data from the National Association of Edible Oil Bottlers and Refiners (Anierac). Drought and price increases impact the figures.
The employers have assured this Wednesday that extra virgin olive oil has registered a drop in sales of about 15% in this period, while sales of mild have fallen by more than 31% and those of intense more than 21 %. Pomace oil reduced its sales by 10%.
The main exception is virgin olive oil, which manages to increase its sales by more than 2.5%. Those of other refined oils have also managed to increase by more than 1%.
Since the current campaign began in October, Anierac's associates have put 15.06% less olive oil on the market. In these nine months, 199.44 million liters have been sold: 85.44 million extra virgin olive oil, 67 million mild, 25.59 million intense and 21.35 million virgin.
The family economy and the basic shopping basket are suffering this summer from the consequences of extreme weather. Olive oil, watermelon, melon, stone fruit, cereal or milk suffer an unusual increase in prices and some scenes of shortages.
In the case of oil, the lack of rain, more pressing in the southern basins of the country, the late frosts and the heat during flowering have meant that the olives do not set as they should and the tree is damaged. Those that have been felled will take two years to recover.
In June and July, the wholesale prices of extra virgin, the jewel in the Spanish crown, have more than tripled their prices, up to 7,615 euros per kilo.
