The traditional olive harvests of Spain and to some extent in some areas of Italy has been far from satisfactory, which means among other consequences that the price of virgin olive oil, so demanding for Mediterranean gastronomy, has soared, and so have attempts to smuggle the produce from northern Africa as well as different methods to commercialize adulterated oil.
Olive oil producers in Uruguay enjoyed a record-setting harvest in 2019, according to a new report compiled by Uruguay’s Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries. In effect Uruguay produced 2,775 tons of extra virgin olive oil, according to the report, an increase of more than 360% over the rolling five-year average.