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Rio Grande do Sul is established as the largest producer of olive oil in the country. In the 2020/21 harvest, 202 thousand liters were produced, processed by 15 industries, in eleven municipalities. The data are from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (SEAPDR).
The volume extracted this season is four times greater than last harvest, when it was 48 thousand liters. The State also celebrates the fact that many of these olive oils have already won gold, silver and platinum medals in competitions in Italy, the United States, Greece, England, Japan and Israel.
“This provides motivation for the continued development of olive growing in the State. Olive oil from Rio Grande do Sul was born with quality, in 2012, winning awards”, highlights the coordinator of the SEAPDR Sectoral and Thematic Chambers, Paulo Lipp João.
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According to João, the number of producers who have their own olive oil brands continues to grow, reaching 46 in 2021. The challenge is to maintain this quality and increase the volume of production every year. “The trend is towards growth, because only 35% of the planted olive trees have already reached production age (4 years or more). The planted area in Rio Grande do Sul, until the end of 2020, was 6,200 hectares”.
In 2021, olive oils produced in Brazil have already won around 50 medals in international competitions that took place in Italy, the United States, Portugal, Greece and Japan.
Although national orchards are relatively young, the results prove that many have superior quality than labels from countries with a tradition in olive growing – such as Spain, Italy and Greece.
By: Eliza Maliszewski | agrolink
