The Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Catalonia forecasts 25,500 tonnes for the 2026/27 campaign, 13,500 less than the previous year. Late rains and summer drought explain the decline, which will reach 60% in the Ebro Lands.
The olive oil campaign that has just begun in Catalonia will have a production of 25,500 tonnes, according to the estimate from the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Catalonia (FCAC). This figure represents a 34.6% less than the 39,000 tonnes from the previous campaign and is 4,000 tonnes below the historical average for the region, as reported by the specialised portal agrodigital.com.
The olive oil spokesperson for the FCAC, Antoni Galceran, attributes the decline to the timing of the rainfall. Spring and summer were very dry, and the water arrived when the fruit was already ready for harvest. The situation is uneven: in the Camp de Tarragona, the recent rains may have allowed for some recovery of the olives, but in other producing areas of the interior counties, very little rain has fallen.
“The rains have come late and, moreover, in some producing areas of the interior counties, it has rained very little”
Galceran summarises the scenario cautiously: “We cannot expect a large harvest, but rather a modest one, about 20% lower than an average campaign.” The federation insists that the final result will depend on how the upcoming weeks of harvesting evolve.
The Baix Ebre and Montsià, the main olive oil producing area in Catalonia, have recently suffered heavy rains. According to the FCAC, the storms would not cause a significant loss of olives, but they also do not arrive in time to improve production. The current concern is focused on the severe damage that the storms have caused to infrastructure, farms, and roads, which hinder harvesting efforts. In the Ebro Lands, the federation expects a production drop of around 60%.
By province, the 25,500 tonnes would be distributed as follows: 9,500 tonnes in Lleida (down from 12,000 last campaign), 15,000 in Tarragona (25,300 the previous year), and 1,000 between Barcelona and Girona (1,700 in the last harvest).
In Spain as a whole, the latest estimate from the Ministry of Agriculture places the production for the 2026/27 campaign at 1.6 million tonnes. If confirmed, there would be more oil available than in the recently concluded campaign.
The FCAC warns that a greater supply, combined with skyrocketing production costs for fertilisers, phytosanitary products, machinery, fuels, and labour, would jeopardise the profitability of producers and cooperatives. The sector thus faces a campaign of tight volumes and pressured margins, with an eye on how the market will behave in the coming months.
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