Albania’s olive groves

Nestled just across the Adriatic from Italy and to the north of Greece, the Albanian coast, once known as Illyria in ancient Greece and Rome, lies a Mediterranean gem with a heritage of olive tree cultivation dating back more than 2500 years. Albania is abundant with more than 28 olive varieties grown across the country. Albania's temperate Mediterranean climate and hilly, gravelly terrain provide ideal growing conditions for the cultivation of its abundant olive groves. Its coastline is home to unique olive varieties, such as Kalinjot, which are not found anywhere else in the world.

Agriculture

Agriculture covers nearly 25% of Albania’s territory and remains a crucial sector for the country’s economy. The terrain, characterized by hilly and mountainous landscapes, poses challenges for timely harvesting, handling and processing. The introduction of liberalization and privatization policies have led to a swift dissolution of state and collective farms. Consequently, agriculture is constrained by small-scale, fragmented land ownership. Hence, the agricultural land per capita is the smallest in Europe. Presently, farmland is spread across 9 regions, covering 17 districts, the most important ones are Vlora and Fier followed by Berat, Tirana and Elbasan.

The interaction of Albanian olive varieties with the local environment (including soil, climate, altitude) combined with cultural practices, yields the unique characteristics and flavors found in oils produced across various regions of the country. The establishment of olive plantations across expansive areas including poorer quality soil, have fostered rich biodiversity in areas that were once barren lands filled with shrubs half a century ago.

Traditionally, olives are carefully hand-picked by local farmers during the harvest season, which typically occurs from October to December. However, more growers are using modern machinery to help them harvest the crop, particularly for the largest orchards.

Olive oil production

Olive production has nearly tripled, reaching approximately 100,000 to 120,000 tons over the past two years compared to the early 2000s. Despite this growth there are significant fluctuations in production from year to year. Concurrently, olive oil production has shown a notable increase reaching 20,000 tons in the previous year. (2017) - Given that the majority are used for olive oil extraction, the upward trend in olive oil production has mirrored the overall growth in raw olive production.

Currently, production remains highly fragmented, resulting in relatively low yields, primarily due to insufficient agronomic care provided by farmers to their trees. The high fragmentation and associated production costs limit the potential for significant export volumes and competitive pricing. Notably, Albania's neighboring countries are dominant producers of olives and olive oil, posing further challenges.
Despite significant investments in modern technology within the olive oil processing industry, experts emphasize the need for further rejuvenation. This sector primarily functions as a service industry, with factories processing olives on behalf of farmers, contributing to a weak organizational structure within the supply chain.

Interesting facts about Albania’s olive trees

In 2021, 10.7 million olive trees in Albania were recorded.
Olive trees are among the longest-living trees known. In Albania, there are claims of some olive trees reaching ages of up to 3000 years old.
The Kalinjot variety, which is unique to Albania, accounts for nearly half of the total plantations dedicated to oil and table olives.
World olive tree day was proclaimed by UNESCO and takes place on November 26th of each year.
The olive tree is a symbol of peace and friendship dating back to ancient Greek mythology.
An olive tree starts producing fruits after 3 to 5 years.
The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, Asia, and Africa, belonging to the Oleaceae family.
Olive trees are super resilient. Their root systems have the ability to regenerate themselves, sprouting new growth and they require minimal water.
Between 4 and 5 kilos of olives are needed to produce 1 liter of olive oil.
The olive tree could range in height from 10 to 40 feet and 15 to 25 feet wide.

References :