AGROFOOD: The Consumption of olive oil is increasing in India

The consumption of olive oil is increasing in India. The international oil council held in Madrid announced it, underlining that the Chinese and Russian markets are addressing their interest to this product. During a press conference in the Spanish capital Mohammed Ouhmad Sbitri (COI director) declared: “ I am very optimistic about the evolution of the Indian market. On the whole the consumption of olive oil in India is about 2500-3000 tons per year now but it is likely to increase till 15000 tons in the next 3-4 years.” In 2007 COI decided to point out on India and next year even the Russian and Chinese markets are being checked; these two countries are showing interest in the product, thanks to some articles in many national magazines exalting the nutritional properties of the olive oil. During the 2007-2008 season about 2,6 million tons of olive oil have been produced, according to the numbers given by COI, for a consumption of about 2,8 million tons.