Italian Olive Oil Sector Faces Climate‑Induced Harvest Challenges

Prolonged drought, heat waves and increasingly erratic weather are stressing Italy’s olive‑oil supply chain. The Italian Olive Millers Association (AIFO) reports that these conditions reduce olive‑tree productivity, lower fruit quality and complicate harvest timing and mill operations.

AIFO president Alberto Amoroso stresses that “sustainability also means preparing the chain for climate challenges” and calls for new tools such as efficient water use, soil‑protection practices, increased organic matter, varietal innovation, pest monitoring, energy‑efficient milling and by‑product valorisation. The association is acting under the EU Regulation 2021/2115 Operational Programme together with Italia Olivicola to promote a climate‑resilient, high‑quality extra‑virgin olive‑oil sector.

The climate pressures affect both the agricultural phase—altering flowering, fruit set and maturation—and the processing phase, where narrower harvest windows and variable olive quality demand faster, better‑organized milling to preserve sensory and nutritional attributes.