Windy weather and lack of rainfall last year has resulted in local olive oil being in short supply.

Olive growers who spoke to Times of Malta said strong winds, an unseasonal heatwave in April and a shortage of rainfall were the main factors behind a scant harvest in October.

“It was a terrible year,” said Jimmy Magro, president of the olive growers’ association.

“The wind blew all the olive blossom away. The warm weather in the first months of the year also meant that the trees didn’t get a chance to hibernate. It’s like when a person is deprived of sleep, they won’t be as productive,” he explained.

Darren Mifsud, director of Diar il-Bniet restaurant and greengrocer, said that, although in previous years the shop always had tanks of olive oil that customers could decant into their own bottles, this has not been possible in recent months due to the lack of supply.

“In previous years, we’d buy first-press olive oil at €12 a litre but, this year, we’ve had to pay between €16 and €18,” he said, adding the heat had also resulted in a poor year for peaches, grapes and plums.

The wind blew all the olive blossom away

Joanne Micallef, who runs Ta’ Lażru Farm in Marsa said demand for local olive oil was higher due to an increasing awareness of its health benefits. 

“It would be good if there was a promotional campaign around local olive oil so we can get rid of this enduring mentality that foreign produce is automatically better than Maltese. When you buy local, you also know what you’re getting, which isn’t always the case with imported stuff,” she said. 

The skyrocketing price of extra virgin olive oil has been a global phenomenon over the past few years, with groves in top producers Spain, Italy and Greece drying up due to increasingly difficult weather conditions.

However, according to local food importers Alf Mizzi & Sons, in the next couple of months, Maltese consumers can expect to see prices of imported olive oil going down for the first time in years.

Meanwhile, the cooperative president encouraged the public to attend an event at the farmers’ market in Ta’ Qali on March 8, when products like olive oil and others not usually given prominence will be on sale, while educational activities will also take place.