Within the framework of the International Fair of Olive Oil and Related Industries, Expoliva 2025, which is celebrated in the Provincial Palace of Fairs and Congresses of Jaén, Cajamar Caja Rural has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the olive oil sector.
The general manager of Cajamar Caja Rural, Sergio Pérez, headed the entity's delegation at the fair, accompanied by prominent executives such as Raúl Ortega, territorial director for South and Extremadura; Sergio Duran, territorial director of Malaga and Granada; Francisco Martinez, Commercial and Social Economy Director; and Manuel Lainez, Director of Agrifood Development and Innovation at the Cajamar Group Foundation. During the day, the delegation met with various companies and cooperatives in the sector, offering their support and guidance at this important event.
One of the highlights of Cajamar's presence at Expoliva was the presentation of an exhaustive analysis on the evolution of the Spanish agri-food exports, with a special focus on olive oil. Francisco Martinez, together with the agri-food advisor Jaime Palafox From Palafox Food & Wine, they broke down the data from Cajamar's latest publication, revealing the strength of the agricultural sector in foreign trade, which reached an export volume of 74.231 billion euros, representing nearly 20% of total national exports.
Cajamar's active participation in Expoliva 2025 underlines its ongoing commitment to the olive oil sector, providing relevant analysis and facilitating debate among key stakeholders to address challenges and seize market opportunities.
The study delved into the results of olive oil marketing, highlighting a A significant 46% increase in sales value in 2024, reaching €6.580 billion compared to 4.496 billion the previous year. This growth in value was accompanied by a 12% increase in export volume, which amounted to 879.867 tonnes from 782.332 tons in 2023.
Cajamar's analysis highlights Spain's undisputed leadership in the European Union in terms of olive oil exports, exceeding 50% of all EU countries and doubling Italy's foreign sales, its traditional competitor. The publication also highlighted the significant fluctuations in olive oil exports since 2010, both in value and volume.
Later, the Cajamar stand in the Oliva Arena pavilion was the scene of an interesting debate panel entitled "Exports in the olive oil sector: price increases and sales tension"Prominent figures from the sector participated, such as José Enrique Herrera, International Sales Director of Acesur; Josep Palau, Head of International Business at Conde de Benalúa; and Juan Antonio Parrilla, Scientific and Technical Advisor at Picualia.
During the debate, experts analyzed the Significant recovery in national olive oil production in the 2024/25 campaign, which exceeded 1,4 million tons, an increase of 65,3% compared to the previous campaign, becoming the third highest in the last decade. Andalusia played a crucial role in this increase, contributing more than 75% of the national total and experiencing an 84% increase in volume. Improvements were also observed in Castile-La Mancha and Extremadura, although Catalonia recorded declines. This recovery trend is extending to other Mediterranean producing countries, following a previous campaign marked by adverse weather conditions.
The speakers also highlighted the 51,4% increase in olive oil stocks until March 2025 as a result of increased production. While market access is smooth, supply is beginning to outstrip demand, which has begun to exert downward pressure on prices. However, a Reactivation of domestic consumption thanks to the economic improvement and promotions at points of sale, especially in higher quality oils, although they have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
As for the foreign market, a growth was noted higher volume of exports compared to the previous campaign, with a sharp increase in January and February. The main destinations for Spanish exports were Italy (+ 8,7%), France (+ 4,3%), Portugal (+5,2%) and Belgium (+ 76,8%).
A point of particular interest in the debate was the impact of the possible imposition of tariffs by Donald Trump's administration on imports of Spanish olive oil into the United States. Experts pointed out a Decrease in exports to this market between October 2024 and February 2025, with a drop of 1,6% in volume and 12,7% in value, attributed primarily to lower prices. Despite the uncertainty generated by the tariffs, the panel's overall conclusion was that the current price reduction has a significantly greater impact than the estimated tariff increase.
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