This could theoretically put pressure on price levels, making Tunisian extra virgin olive oil somewhat cheaper for consumers. But not everything is sunshine in the world of extra virgin olive oil.
Problem: Bulk Olive Oil
Major olive oil-selling companies in the European Union imported 176,051 tonnes of Tunisian olive oil in the 2022/23 harvest year, mainly in bulk and (of course) at a heavily discounted price. It shows the weakness of the Tunisian economy compared to that of the European Union. It is no wonder that more and more voices are calling for something to be done about it.
One way to increase income for Tunisian olive oil farmers is to bottle their olive oil locally. After all, extra virgin olive oil sold in liter bottles yields much more than liters of extra virgin olive oil sold in bulk to importers in Spain or Italy. They sell it in the Netherlands with the labels not quite correct, such as 'Bottled in the EU' or 'Imported from Italy'.
But that is a long-term process and an excess of extra virgin olive oil immediately means that prices are under pressure. Nevertheless, the bottled extra virgin olive oil from the last harvest year already reached an unprecedented 28,600 tons of exports, which was a significant increase compared to the 9,900 tons in 2022/23.
However, the falling price of olive oil at the source means that the value of these exports this year will probably not even reach the record of 5.16 billion dinars (€1.56 billion) of 2023/24.
Despite the challenges on the market, we have to acknowledge that the situation looks good for Tunisian olive farmers. We also point to the recent rainfall, which has improved water supplies across the country, as a positive sign for the 2025/26 harvest year.
What are the consequences for Dutch and Belgian consumers, is the legitimate question. Well, Tunisian olive oil in bulk will still be sold abroad at knock-down prices. Bottled extra virgin olive oil provides a somewhat more stable income for the Tunisian olive oil farmer and those prices cannot really go down. After all, in Tunisia too, costs are also increasing for, for example, wages and transport.
