The first data on Italy’s olive harvesting show a drop in production compared to last September. And this will negatively affect the production of Italian olive oil. According to the forecasts of Ismea and Unaprol, the olive production of the 2020 – 21 campaign should reach 255 thousand tons, with a drop of -30% over last year.
The olive harvest was heavily conditioned by the poor performance of Southern Italy. In Apulia, Calabria and Sicily there was a reduction of -43%, -38% and -15% respectively. In the Central and Northern Italy, on the other hand, the good forecasts for early autumn are confirmed, with increases of +31% in Tuscany, +8% in Lazio, +70% in Umbria and +100% in Liguria.
Estimated production of Italian olives 2020
| Region | Tons | Var. % 2020/2019 |
| Piedmont | 4 | +50% |
| Lombardy | 307 | +150% |
| Trentino-Alto Adige | 224 | +150% |
| Veneto | 800 | +150% |
| Friuli Venezia Giulia | 86 | +50% |
| Liguria | 2,895 | +100% |
| Emilia-Romagna | 1,178 | +50% |
| Tuscany | 13,010 | +31% |
| Umbria | 6,500 | +70% |
| Marche | 2,800 | +15% |
| Lazio | 11,823 | +8% |
| Abruzzo | 6,923 | -22% |
| Molise | 2,215 | -23% |
| Campania | 13,689 | -12% |
| Apulia | 121,161 | -43% |
| Basilicata | 5,578 | -14% |
| Calabria | 32,005 | -38% |
| Sicily | 29,200 | -15% |
| Sardinia | 4,760 | +9% |
| Total Italy | 255,157 | -30% |
However, a high-quality Italian olive oil is expected throughout the country thanks to the excellent flowering, good weather conditions and limited attacks from oil fly pest.