Oil for food

The olive oil sector is slowly increasing its popularity with Maltese farmers, writes TMI's Bernard Busuttil, from the Olive News Blog:

..In 2004, Malta produced 10 tonnes of olive oil, while the production for 2005 was 22 tonnes, four of which were produced in Gozo. An olive registry has since been set up, and 140 hectares have been identified for olive cultivation.

Gozo Cottage Director Ruben Curmi, said his company uses olives from Maltese and Gozitan growers. The farmers are not organised into a representative group, so the company has to deal with each one on a personal basis. During the negotiation process, the two parties agree on a floor price, after which prices are left to fluctuate according to the year’s market forces. Farmers are paid according to the yield of litres of oil. Since oil is a light liquid, 10 kilogrammes of oil yield 11 litres.

Mr Curmi said Maltese growers are put off from growing olives because of the lengthy harvest period. However, he said, harvesting only takes up 50 per cent of the cost and time involved in the cultivation of olives. Olive cultivation involves one crop a year. Olive flowers are produced in spring; tiny olives can be spotted in June, and will be ready for harvesting by September to October. Olive pressing starts in September and continues until late November. As a rule of thumb, the more the tree is looked after, the earlier it will bear fruit. However, Mr Curmi pointed out a peculiarity of Maltese-grown olives. He said that if one had to grow two olive trees, one in Sicily and the other in Malta, using the same methods, soil quality and giving either tree the exact same treatment, the one in Malta would bear earlier fruits...