Olive oil remains stock again, exports fall 75% for January-March

Olive oil exports remain in low quantities for this year, reflecting the difficulties of the sector. For the months of January-March 2025, according to customs data, about 322 tonnes of olive oil were exported.

Compared to the same annual period, olive oil exports decreased 75%. For this period in value exports of olive oil amounted to about ALL 188.5 thousand, versus ALL 1 billion that were exports of January-March 2024. The decline in exports is 81%.

Olive oil processors and exporters claim to continue to be almost blocked in export of Repese oil, due to the low prices offered by foreign buyers, especially from Italy, where competition with Spanish and Greek manufacturers is very strong.

Aldo Jolla, an exporter from the Belsh area, says that since November he has not been able to sell a liter of unsaid oil. Currently, he has 30 tons of unsold olive oil stored.

« The price that the Italian Grosists are looking for is under the cost of production. They are offering 4.7 euros per liter, while in Spain the price reaches 4.2 euros. Under 500 ALL per liter, we do not even come up with the cost of work, » he says.

High production costs are not only because of high salaries for employees, but also from low mechanization that does not promote yield growth, lack of subsidies for every liter of oil produced by farmer, such as in Greece, where the state subsidizes the farmer 1 euro per liter and the high level of informality of sales in the country.

During the last season 2024/2025, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, etc., have had a good production, which has also led to a decrease in the price of olive oil exported to large international markets, making Albanian oil uncompetitive.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture earlier claimed for Monitor that it is working to improve the conditions of olive oil storage and marketing, through a project funded by the World Bank worth about 1 MLN USD.

According to this project, it is planned to set up a modern center in the Berat district, where the storage, packaging and branding of the Albanian olive oil product will be carried out.

But currently the only hope for exporters seems to be the tourist season, which is expected to increase demand from olive oil restaurants since March.

Other exporters claim that for them the export market occupies more weight than the domestic market. For this reason they are committed to export of brand -packaged olive oil. While in the domestic market, the demand for packaged olive oil is low.

The olive oil market marks numerous fluctuations year after year. In 2023, high export growth, mainly for the unsecured oil to Italy, was stirred after the boomerang created with the overproduction of 2022, when farmers found no market to sell olive oil.

In the past two years 2023 and 2024 the amount of oil export from Albania increased, because countries like Spain and Italy, dominating the world market, had a large decline in production for two years, due to a lack of rainfall. During the last season 2024/2025, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, etc., have had a good production, which has also led to a decline in the price of olive oil exported to large international markets.