New-season oil is already trading below Greece's opening auction price, while Spanish growers are pressing the government to restrict supply. In southern Tunisia, harvesting is getting under way with smaller regional crops expected.
What's happening this week
Greek new oil changes hands at 4.10€/kg
The Agioi Apostoloi cooperative in Laconia has agreed to sell 140 tonnes of extra virgin olive oil from the 2026/27 harvest at 4.10€/kg, Agrotypos reported on Wednesday. Produced from early Athinolia olives, the oil follows an opening auction at 5.95€/kg and a subsequent agreement for three tanker loads at 4.60€/kg.
This latest agreement establishes a substantially lower selling price for the cooperative before the main Koroneiki harvest, which could begin in November. It also gives the market a reference backed by a sizeable volume as negotiations for new oil continue.
Spain's growers ask Planas to act
ASAJA, COAG, UPA and Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias renewed their demand for compulsory storage on Tuesday, calling on agriculture minister Luis Planas to intervene directly and secure the immediate publication and application of the marketing rules for 2026/27. In their joint statement, the organisations cited extra virgin prices below 3.20€/kg and lampante below 2.90€/kg, arguing that growers were being forced to sell below production costs. They also challenged opposition from industrial and export associations, maintaining that sufficient oil would remain available to supply the market.
Their latest appeal places particular emphasis on uncertainty for businesses already producing new oil, which still do not know how a withdrawal requirement would affect them. As of the statement, the organisations were seeking a government decision; they were not announcing an activated withdrawal. The distinction matters for sellers negotiating deliveries while the rules remain unsettled.
Southern Tunisia starts harvesting with smaller crops
Gabès began its olive harvest on Monday with regional agricultural services forecasting 50,000 tonnes of olives, compared with 73,000 tonnes last season. The estimate, announced ahead of the opening, puts most of the expected crop in irrigated groves.
In neighbouring Tataouine, a meeting at the governorate set the harvesting and milling period from 20 October to 7 March. Regional services expect 3,300 tonnes of olives, down from 5,300 tonnes last season, attributing the decline to heat stress.
Reporting cutoff: 21 October 2026, morning. The Greek sale was reported on Wednesday; the agreement date was not specified.
Sources
- Agrotypos: Agioi Apostoloi sale of 140 tonnes of new-season Athinolia EVOO at 4.10€/kg, 21 October 2026. The opening auction and subsequent 4.60€/kg agreement concern separate lots.
- Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias: Joint producer organisations' appeal to the agriculture minister, 20 October 2026. Price and production-cost claims are attributed to the organisations.
- Tunisie Numérique: Gabès harvest opens with 50,000 tonnes of olives forecast, 19 October 2026; TAP, republished by WMC: Forecast and scheduled opening, 16 October 2026.
- TAP, republished by WMC: Tataouine's harvest forecast and calendar, 20 October 2026.