Last Monday the Trade Comitee
of European Parliament backed a proposal of increase by 35.000 tons the
duty-free yearly quota of olive oil imports from Tunisia for a two years
period, in order to help the full recovery of the economy of a country which is
struggling with terrorism, developing the Tunisian olive oil sector, the
agricultural main export of the country.
This decision was followed by
the harsh criticism of several Italian producers associations. The
Minister of Agriculture Martina highlighted his strong opposition to any
further increase of the duty-free quota. On Italian television channels debates
about this “scandalous” attack to Made in Italy is now broadcast countinously
and the implicit connection between fraud, adulteration and olive oil import
from Tunisia is like a base on which the debate is built on.
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| Beautiful trees in Tunisian countryside |
According to data of
International Olive Oil Council Italy’s olive oil production reached 222.000
tons in harvest season 2014-2015 and the internal consumption was of 521.000
tons, the lowest by far of last ten years and it has exported around 208.000
tons.
These data clearly express
that Italy needs to import olive oil. A duty-free import quota is a good
opportunity for Italy and for Tunisia too. If the politicians criticizing this
move by European Parliament were so focused on studying measures to face fraud
with half of the zeal with which they criticize the increase of the quota,
Italian olive oil will have not the bad reputation it has currently.
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