The Global Market for Olive Oil: Actors, Trends, Prospects and Research Needs

Olive oil is possibly the single globally consumed and traded product most closely linked to the Mediterranean; non-Mediterranean countries account for less than 2.5 per cent of world production. The paper addresses recent trends in the olive oil world market and the current structure of trade. With respect to existing analyses, its value added is in the level of detail at which the analysis of current trade is conducted, in particular by considering bilateral olive oil trade flows disaggregated with respect to its quality. The main conclusion reached is that the key factors for the future of the market are developments in demands and in the imperfectly competitive structure of the industry, while supply factors and expected changes in trade policies, although relevant, are likely to play a less important role