The Dynamics of Olive Oil Pricing in Spain Amidst Increasing Imports
The 2025/2026 olive oil season has been significantly affected by a notable absence of origin prices, creating a challenging environment for local farmers. These agricultural producers attribute the rising costs to an influx of olive oil imports from third countries, particularly highlighting Tunisia, the second largest global producer, and Morocco, which has seen remarkable growth in its industry. As Tunisia escalates its production statistics, there has also been a marked increase in its olive oil shipments to Spain, which has raised concerns among domestic olive growers. They allege that this situation fosters unfair competition due to favorable regulatory conditions regarding labor and health standards in these African nations. However, Spain's Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, recently asserted that the olive oil imports from Tunisia up until June had no direct effect on prices, a statement that contradicts the figures released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry through DataComex.
According to these figures, which detail data from January to July, there has been an alarming rise in imports of olive oil from both Tunisia and Morocco, exceeding 140%. Spain, a giant in the olive oil sector, is increasingly relying on products sourced from outside the European Union (EU), which are produced under standards that do not match those of the continent. Specifically, total olive oil imports from January to July surged from 117,464.86 tons to 155,502.23 tons, marking a substantial increase of 32.38% in just one year. Tunisia, the most common source, saw its imports rise from 37,944.42 tons to 70,099.21 tons, while Morocco accelerated its exports dramatically from 396.74 tons to 22,652.34 tons.
Spain's Growing Dependency on Olive Oil Imports from North Africa
This increase highlights Spain's growing dependency on olive oil from third countries, with the combined volume from Tunisia and Morocco reaching 92,751.55 tons, which constitutes 59.65% of the total imported olive oil in Spain by July 2026. This is a significant rise from 2025, where the figure was 38,341.16 tons, representing 32.64% of the total import quota. In Spain, the internal consumption of olive oil stands at about 550,000 tons annually. Over a seven-month period, this translates to approximately 320,833.33 tons, meaning that the 92,751.55 tons imported from Tunisia and Morocco account for around 28.91% of national consumption. Minister Planas acknowledged that these figures could be even larger if one were to include quantities imported for re-exportation, which, due to a special active processing regime, do not contribute to the weight or tariff quota.
The data presented pertains solely to olive oil intended for consumption within Spain and overlooks a substantial amount of non-EU olive oil entering the country under the active processing regime, a specialized customs arrangement that allows products to enter the EU for transformation and subsequent re-exportation without incurring duties or taxes during the transformation process. For farmers, this European regulation is seen as a weapon used by the industry to pressure domestic origin prices, as it permits the entry of olive oil from third countries without counting against the annual quota of 56,700 tons exempt from tariffs, which can later be exported as European product. The complicated legal framework, as condemned by olive growers, supports industry practices that undermine the traceability of olive oil in Spain. According to the National Observatory of Agriculture in Tunisia (Onagri), between November 2025 and June 2026, Tunisian olive oil exports to Spain reached nearly 120,000 tons; however, DataComex only records 79,654.35 tons, 40,345.65 tons less than reported by the authorities in the Maghreb state.
As reported by eldebate.com.
