The figures for olive oil production in Crete this year are shocking, with producers experiencing an unprecedented situation.
The total production does not exceed 40,000 tonnes, while in a good year the quantities exceed 130,000 tonnes and in an average year they are between 80,000 and 100,000 tonnes.
In eastern Crete the reduction in production exceeds 75-80%, while in North Heraklion arrives at 90%. Things are a little better in Messara, but the small respite does not compensate for the huge losses in the other regions.
The financial pressure on producers is suffocating. In areas such as Arkalochori, Malevizi and Viannos, traditional large-scale production «stations» are seeing mills close and producers lose substantial revenue.
For example, olive oil mill in Heraklion last year milled 800 tons of olive oil and this year did not exceed 300. At Agricultural Cooperative of Kato Asiton, production dropped from 550 to just 60 tonnes.
The fall in production is not accompanied by an increase in price either. On the contrary, the olive oil currently sells for between EUR 4,30 and EUR 4,50 per kilo. A typical example is the sale of a container of olive oil at €4.70 per kilo, when it was bought from the producer at €5.10, with similar cases recorded elsewhere.
Faced with this new reality, many landowners are turning to renting out their land, as the olive growing now not only does it not offer the expected profits, but many people are also putting money out of their own pockets.
This year, with reduced production and a falling price, leaves behind a climate of uncertainty and concern for the future of the olive cultivation in Crete, one of the basic «elements of life» of the island's economy and tradition.
