Spanish agriculture sees mixed export trends as olive oil stays top while pistachio prices face pressure

Olive oil remained Andalusia's leading agro‑food export in the first five months of 2026, generating over €1.425 billion in value. Although this represents a 10.5 % decline compared with the same period in 2025, the product kept its position at the top of the region’s export rankings, with sales of about 299 000 tonnes and a modest rise in both value and volume.

The agricultural association Asaja, representing growers in Castilla‑La Mancha, warned that pistachio prices at origin should rise to reflect tighter global supplies. International forecasts indicate a 40‑50 % drop in the United States harvest and reduced output from Iran due to drought and energy limits, while EU sanitary rules further restrict Iranian shipments. Domestically, the region, which holds more than 70 % of Spain’s pistachio area, expects a roughly 30 % reduction in its own harvest because of natural crop shedding and high‑temperature pollination failures. Asaja argues that these factors justify an upward price trend for Spanish pistachios.