Olive production records begin at 17 mills; growers to receive receipts

A new system to document production volumes has been introduced for olive growers and mill operators in the TRNC (KKTC). Olives delivered to mills will be weighed, the amount of oil produced through pressing will be recorded, and growers will be given a receipt for the transaction. Hürrem Tulga, President of the Tradesmen, Craftsmen and Producers Marketing Cooperative (Esnaf Zanaatkârlar ve Üreticiler Pazarlama Kooperatifi, EZKOOP), announced that the forms prepared for the scheme had been sent to 17 mills across the country.

The Agriculture Department will oversee the system, which is being implemented under the Olive and Olive Products Law. Tulga said the records would make production volumes visible and help identify unregistered products.

Data to be collected on production capacity

Dr Nazım Akçaba, a member of the Olive Council, said the country’s actual production capacity had not yet been fully established. Annual olive oil production varies between 1,000 and 1,500 tonnes, he said, adding that the new data could be used to shape agricultural policies.

According to Akçaba, there are around 56 companies in the sector licensed by the state. He said most of the regulations needed to implement the law passed by the Republican Assembly (Cumhuriyet Meclisi) in July 2023 had not yet been prepared. To date, only the registration regulation has come into force. He stressed the importance of recording every stage, from production and storage to sales.

Proposal for production-based incentives

Tulga said there were more than 2,000 olive growers engaged in commercial activity in the country, while the number of growers working with EZKOOP had risen from an initial 25 to 300. He said they also sold products to the UK and Australia, adding that rising costs were making price competition and exports more difficult.

Tulga said they wanted support measures to be revised and proposed incentives based on litres of oil or on 5 kilograms of olives, rather than on land area. He said they expected the proposal to be assessed in light of budgetary resources.

Emphasis on mechanisation to reduce harvesting costs

Akçaba said that harvesting one kilogram of olives using traditional methods cost around 19 TL, while using a mechanical harvester could bring the cost down to around 3 TL. He said mechanical harvesting could also help olives reach the mill more quickly, adding that early harvesting, prompt pressing, proper storage and packaging were key to quality.