Castilla-La Mancha is now positioned as “the second region in olive tree surface area worldwide, with close to 474,000 hectares”, according to the most recent data from the Survey of Surfaces and Crop Yields disseminated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Julián Martínez Lizán, during the opening of the World Olive Oil Congress, which is being held in Lisbon on July 2 and 3, as detailed by the Junta in a press release.
In the last decade, the area dedicated to olive groves in Castilla-La Mancha has not stopped increasing, to the point of surpassing the vineyard area, which historically had been the predominant crop in the region.
In parallel, the olive tree exploitations in Puglia, the Italian region that occupied second place in area, have been decreasing until falling below 350,000 hectares.
The minister anticipated that “we will grow in production in these coming years” and stressed that the regional government will respond to the needs of the sector, both in terms of agroclimatic, geopolitical and commercial factors “but also conditions that innovation and technology may offer to promote the development of the crop throughout the territory”.
This advance of the olive grove “obliges us greatly to work in the present, but above all in the future of this crop,” affirmed Martínez Lizán, who defended the value of the Castilla-La Mancha olive grove, which not only possesses an “undeniable economic importance, but is also a social crop that benefits 83,000 families of olive growers, while contributing to the conservation of the landscape and territory, and allowing us to fight against climate change”.
Added to this is “the growing consumption trend”, driven by its recognized healthy properties from a nutritional point of view.
In the last campaign, Castilla-La Mancha reached a production of 138,333 tons of olive oil, which represents 18.6 percent more than the average recorded in the last ten years.
In this way, the region has obtained 10.7 percent of the total volume of oil produced in Spain.
Exchange of knowledge, innovation and cooperation
The World Olive Oil Congress “is a forum that promotes the exchange of knowledge, innovation, and cooperation throughout the entire olive oil value chain,” explained Martínez Lizán, who emphasized that Castilla-La Mancha has “the obligation to participate” because it represents “a unique opportunity to discuss the challenges” of the sector and analyze possible responses to face them.
Within the framework of this meeting, the counselor was able to share impressions on the main challenges of olive groves and olive oil with the Ministers of Agriculture of Portugal, Manuel Fernandes, and Malta, Anton Refalo, as well as with the Executive Director of the International Olive Council (IOC), Jaime Lillo.
The future CAP was also discussed at this informal meeting.
During his speech at the inauguration of the OOWC, the counselor highlighted the importance for Castilla-La Mancha to be present at the second edition of this Congress, whose first event was held in 2024 in Madrid, and which brings together about 300 attendees from different olive oil producing countries, as well as researchers, companies, producers, and other institutional representatives.
Among the participants are the Director General of Agri-food Production and Cooperatives, Elena Escobar, a member of the Organizing Committee, and María José Carmona, coordinator of that same General Directorate and member of the Scientific Committee of the World Congress, who are accompanying the counselor.
The program of the meeting addresses decisive issues for the future of the olive oil value chain, such as adaptation to climate change, digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence in agricultural production, the quality and authenticity of olive oil, and the effect of geopolitical instability on international markets.
In addition to the presentations, tastings and various parallel activities have been organized in which the delegation from Castilla-La Mancha is present.
Dining and Cooking