According to Italian media, the national olive sector is going through a major crisis in the face of the massive arrival of Tunisian olive oil at low prices. Tunisian imports, sold less than 5 euros per liter, now represent a third of Italian imports in the first two months of the oliveal season.
The Pouilles region, which has 60 million olive trees out of 370,000 hectares and represents 40% of the production in southern Italy, is particularly affected. With a production value of one billion euros, this crucial sector is threatened by competition deemed unfair by professionals.
The agreement between the EU and Tunisia aggravates the situation by authorizing importation without customs duties of 56,700 tonnes of olive oil per year. Italian producers, subject to strict pesticide and labor law standards, cannot compete with these prices, forcing them to sell below their production costs.
To remedy this situation, the two of the main organizations representing the interests of farmers and producers of olive oil in Italy, Coldiretti and Unaprol offer two major solutions: the creation of a unique telematic register at the European level on the Italian Sian model to ensure traceability, and the limitation of Tunisian imports during the April-September period to protect national production.
