The first sale of Greece's new crop has closed at 5.95€/kg, 24% below last year's opening price, as early yields disappoint. Spain's competition regulator is questioning plans to hold oil back, Italian growers are demanding help with costs and debt, and growers in northern Portugal are assessing hail damage before picking begins.
What's happening this week
First Agioi Apostoloi sale closes at 5.95€/kg
The Agioi Apostoloi cooperative in Laconia has sold around 55 tonnes of new-season extra virgin olive oil at 5.95€/kg. That is 24.2% below the 7.85€/kg achieved in its first sale last year.
Agrotypos reported the agreement on 5 October. An Italian company won the tender, which attracted one bidder from Italy and one from Greece. The cooperative's next sale was expected towards the end of the week.
Oil recovery has been disappointing in the early harvests, even where fruit quality is good. Speaking to Agrotypos the following day, the president of the Agioi Apostoloi cooperative reported extraction yields of 6–11% for early Athinolia olives, while describing quality as very good. In Messinia, the president of the NILEAS cooperative reported the same range for early Mavroelia olives. At this stage last year, he said, yields had started at 13%.
CNMC warns against limiting supplies
Spain's competition authority has warned that holding olive oil back from the market could raise prices and reduce competition. Its assessment of the proposed rules for 2026/27, published on 5 October, calls for stronger evidence that the market faces exceptional oversupply.
The draft would allow up to 20% of estimated production to be held back. It would apply when opening stocks plus expected production reach at least 120% of the average of the two highest annual volumes marketed over the preceding six campaigns. Before any restriction, the CNMC wants its likely effects on growers, other businesses and consumers to be assessed. It also asks for a clearer explanation of how much oil would be affected, which categories and mills would be covered, and how the measure could be changed or ended if market conditions shift.
Puglia growers seek help with costs and debt
Around 300 farmers blocked the Bitonto–Palombaio junction of provincial road 231 on 5 October, protesting against falling olive oil prices and rising production costs. The Comitato Rivolta Olivicoltori, which organised the demonstration, is asking the government to recognise a crisis in the sector and establish a national support programme. Its demands include help with interest payments, a suspension of loan repayments for at least 12 months, and assistance with fuel, energy, irrigation and harvesting costs. Growers also want private storage measures and closer checks on imports and the movement of olives and oil. The municipality of Andria, which joined the protest, announced talks between local authorities and the demonstrators.
Spain approves changes to traceability rules
Spain's cabinet approved changes to the quality rules for olive oil and olive-pomace oil on 6 October. The agriculture ministry said the amendment would make it easier to track oil movements and identify products, including imported oils, helping authorities check their quality and authenticity. It updates rules adopted in 2021, under which operators already have to record certain movements through a computerised system.
Hail damages olives in northern Portugal
A hailstorm on Sunday, 4 October, knocked olives from trees in Alfândega da Fé, where picking is expected to begin in the second half of the month. The local agricultural cooperative told Lusa that affected areas included Eucísia and Valverde. José Carlos Pimentel, a grower with ten hectares in Eucísia, estimated that around 10% of his olives had fallen, although he said the damage was still difficult to quantify. Fruit left on the trees was also marked by the hail, and the cooperative warned that this could affect oil quality.
The damage comes as the region prepares for a larger harvest. APPITAD had forecast 15% more olive production in Trás-os-Montes than in 2025.
Lebanese exports fall by more than half
Lebanon exported 2,575 tonnes of olive oil in the first seven months of 2026, down from 5,559 tonnes a year earlier. The 53.7% decline was reported by Olive Oil Times on 5 October, citing official figures.
Producers told the publication that the conflict had made shipping more difficult and expensive, while access to some southern groves remained restricted. Rose Bechara Perini, founder of Darmmess, said security-related diversions were adding several hours to journeys between Beirut and Deir Mimas, raising the cost of transporting materials and oil.
Sources
- Agrotypos: First Agioi Apostoloi sale at 5.95€/kg, 5 October 2026. The 24.2% change is calculated from the two reported opening prices.
- Agrotypos: Low extraction yields in the early Greek harvest, 6 October 2026.
- CNMC: Assessment of the proposed olive oil marketing rules for 2026/27, 5 October 2026.
- Corriere del Mezzogiorno: Growers protest in Bitonto, 5 October 2026.
- Municipality of Andria: Participation in the growers' protest and talks with local authorities, 5 October 2026.
- MAPA: Cabinet approves changes to olive oil and olive-pomace oil quality rules, 6 October 2026.
- Lusa / Observador: Hail damage in Alfândega da Fé, 6 October 2026.
- Olive Oil Times: Lebanese olive oil exports fall as conflict disrupts trade, 5 October 2026.