Olive oil: Turkish exports have slumped by 66%
May 11, 2026 at 4:55 PM ,
Der AUDITOR
Turkish exporters under pressure
During the General Assembly of the Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters Association, Chairman Emre Uygun announced that the Turkish olive sector had achieved exports worth USD 763 million in the 2023/24 season. However, in the 2024/25 season, exports declined by 27%, resulting in foreign exchange earnings of USD 559 million.
In the current 2025/26 season, exports have fallen significantly further. In the first half of 2025/26 (1 November 2025-30 April 2026), 57,494 mt of table olives worth USD 155.698 million were exported from Turkey; in the same period of the previous year, however, the figure was 63,838 mt worth USD 161.687 million. Furthermore, olive oil exports fell by 66.4% to 10,145 mt, with the export value standing at USD 57.753 million compared to the previous year’s figure of USD 158.138 million. According to Uygun, the decline in exports is attributable to past export restrictions and the fact that prices remain higher than those of competitors. Rather than providing support in the face of rising costs, the withdrawal of special subsidies is putting pressure on both producers and exporters.
Uygun emphasised that the association had stepped up its activities in overseas markets in order to reverse the downward trend. These include trade delegations to target markets such as the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia, as well as participation in international trade fairs.
At the same time, Uygun warned of increasing risks posed by pesticide residues in olive oil exports to the Far East and America. According to the Turkish Ministry of Trade, around 100 samples were tested in the Aegean region, with pesticides detected in more than 50% of them. Uygun explained that this problem would become increasingly significant in the future and that measures were already necessary in the growing regions. Although the issue has so far been less noticeable in trade with the European Union, as exports are not made directly there, pressure from overseas is nevertheless mounting.
|
Exports olives and olive oil, Turkey, in kg |
|||
|
Produkt |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
Diff. |
|
Black olives |
48,901,080 |
44,083,841 |
-9.9% |
|
Green olives |
14,936,421 |
13,410,050 |
-10.2% |
|
Olive oil |
30,227,461 |
10,145,360 |
-66.4% |
|
Olive pomace oil |
9,674,225 |
5,905,564 |
-39.0% |
|
Total olives |
63,837,501 |
57,493,891 |
-9.9% |
|
Total olive oil |
39,901,686 |
16,050,924 |
-59.8% |
|
Total |
103,739,188 |
73,544,814 |
-29.1% |
|
Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters Association, 01/11-30/04 |
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EU exports continue to decline
Around seven months into the season, olive oil shipments from EU countries to third countries continue to fall compared with the same period last year. Between 1 October 2025 and 3 May 2026, the EU exported a total of 341,717 mt of olive oil (EU categories 1 to 5, treated and untreated), representing a decline of 6.1%. The value of exports, however, fell by a good 20% to EUR 1.941 billion due to lower prices. The average export price during the aforementioned period was EUR 5.68/kg, whereas it stood at EUR 7.15/kg in the previous year.
At 184,346 mt, around 54% of EU exports originated from Spain (+1.9% year-on-year), followed by Italy (-7.4% to 116,589 mt), Portugal (-23.3% to 25,917 mt) and Greece (-68.69% to 4,567 mt). Almost a third of EU shipments, totalling 108,884 mt, went to the USA (-18% year-on-year), with other major destination countries being the UK (+7.6% to 33,502 mt), Brazil (-15.3% to 26,751 mt) and South Korea (+23.5% to 18,256 mt).
Meanwhile, EU imports during the aforementioned period amounted to 58,660 mt of olive oil (+31.6% year-on-year) worth EUR 220.625 million (+9.7% year-on-year). At 31,718 mt, 54.1% of shipments came from Tunisia, a further 25% from Morocco, whilst Turkey exported just 338 mt of olive oil to the EU – around 73% less than in the same period last year.
|
EU olive oil exports, in mt |
|||
|
Partner |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
Diff. |
|
Spain |
180,833 |
184,346 |
1.9% |
|
Italy |
125,889 |
116,589 |
-7.4% |
|
Portugal |
33,799 |
25,917 |
-23.3% |
|
Greece |
14,552 |
4,567 |
-68.6% |
|
Belgium |
2,552 |
3,070 |
20.3% |
|
Others |
6,186 |
7,228 |
16.8% |
|
Total |
363,811 |
341,717 |
-6.1% |
|
DG AGRI TAXUD Customs Surveillance System, 01/10-03/05 15092000+15093000+15094000+15099000 Olive oil |
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