Symbol of excellence and tradition, olive growing in Campania – despite its strong potential – is facing unprecedented challenges due to structurally declining production, rising management costs, an increasingly hostile climate, but also the aging of its plants.
Over 60% of olive trees are more than half a century old
The regional Confagricoltura interprets this and recalls how “most of the olive groves (61%) are over 50 years old”. Situation that makes you feel "the need for a Regional Olive Oil Plan that combines innovation, sustainability and product valorization, encouraging the reconversion of obsolete plants with intensive and super-intensive models and modernizing the mills to guarantee oils of higher quality and competitiveness. At the same time - underlines Confagricoltura - it is essential to protect the historic olive groves and the hilly areas, encouraging the maintenance and recovery of abandoned olive groves to safeguard the landscape and mitigate hydrogeological risks".
Another opportunity is offered by oil tourism: “With a structured and coordinated intervention, based on sustainability, economic opportunities for agricultural companies could be generated”.
Production 2024/2025
In Campania, the province of Salerno It is the main producing area of olives and oil with 38.161 tons of olives harvested e 5.182 tons of oil produced in the last olive oil campaign. Naples presents lower production volumes: 3.831 tons of olives harvested and 510 tons of oil produced. While Benevento, Caserta and Avellino they are placed in a intermediate position, respectively with 18.471, 11.467 and 10.561 tons of olives harvested and 2.095, 1.276 and 1.400 tons of oil produced.
"The data – underlines Confagricoltura Campania – they tell us that the region contributes 5,8% to the national production of olives (82.491 tons out of 1.413.139 tons) and 5,3% to the production of oil (10.463 tons out of 197.710 tons). The average regional yield (12,68%) is slightly lower than the national average (13,99%): this means that most of the olive groves are obsolete and not very productive. The proposal by Confagricoltura Campania to incentivize the reconversion of the plants represents a concrete solution to increase productivity, reduce management costs and make the sector competitive both nationally and internationally”.
Other urgent needs include increased investment in scientific research and the application of solutions against plant diseases; product enhancement with consumer education campaigns, targeted promotion, and greater transparency on the markets; and financial support and training for companies.
