Turkey Seeks Greater Returns From Olive Oil Expansion

Key Takeaways

• Olive tree count doubled to 200 million
• 2024/25 harvest yielded 475,000 metric tons
• Exports fell 80% in first month of 2025/26 season
• 40% of oil exported bulk, reducing domestic brand value
• ‘OlivetoLive’ project aims to boost branding and overseas sales

Pulse Analysis

The Turkish olive industry has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two decades, driven by government incentives that encouraged the planting of new groves and the adoption of modern milling technology. Tree numbers have risen from roughly 100 million in the early 2000s to an estimated 200 million today, propelling the 2024/25 harvest to a historic 475,000 metric tons of oil. This surge has positioned Turkey as the second‑largest global producer of both olive oil and table olives, a status highlighted by the International Olive Council’s executive director.

Yet the rapid output increase has exposed structural weaknesses that threaten profitability. Around 40 % of Turkey’s oil is still shipped in bulk to Spain, Italy, France and Greece, where it is often re‑bottled under foreign labels, depriving domestic producers of premium margins. Storage constraints exacerbate the problem, with prolonged warehousing degrading quality and eroding consumer confidence in local brands. The early 2025/26 season illustrated the fallout: export volumes plunged 80 % in the first month, effectively stalling the sector’s international momentum.

Industry bodies are responding with a coordinated push to capture higher value. The Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters’ Association has launched the three‑year ‘OlivetoLive’ UR‑GE project, offering training, consultancy and targeted marketing to help exporters present Turkish oil under domestic labels. Parallel efforts in Antalya propose a quality‑focused transformation framework for 2026‑2035, emphasizing traceability, tourism integration and premium branding. If the government augments these initiatives with incentives for modern storage facilities and consumer education, Turkey could convert its production advantage into a lucrative, reputation‑driven export segment.