In August, 2026 (official data release), Tunisia’s olive oil exports surged 55.3 percent to a record 368,000 metric tons in the first nine months of the 2025/26 season. They brought in $1.6 billion in export revenue, up 44.4 percent from a year earlier, according to official data. It is a major boost for foreign currency earnings.

The record exports followed a record harvest. In October 2025, the head of the Olive Producers Chamber told Reuters the crop was expected to reach about 500,000 tons, roughly 50 percent more than the previous year. Good rainfall drove the increase, and the record output would consolidate Tunisia’s place among the world’s top olive oil producers.

The quality of the exports stands out. Extra virgin olive oil accounted for 83.6 percent of total shipments, and more than 70 countries imported Tunisian oil during the period. The European Union was the biggest destination with 57.1 percent, while North America took 24 percent.

Value-added exports are also growing. Bottled olive oil exports rose 50.8 percent to 51,500 tons, and a separate report says packaged olive oil exports rose 57 percent in the first half of 2026, generating 666 million dinars in revenue. New opportunities opened in Jordan, Brazil, China and Russia, alongside traditional markets such as Canada, the United States, the Gulf, France and Belgium.

Culled from Middle East Online: https://www.middle-east-online.com/en/tunisia%E2%80%99s-olive-oil-exports-surge-bringing-vital-foreign-currency-boost