President Marga Prohens visits Son Mesquidassa to find out how the DO Oli de Mallorca campaign is progressing

The President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, together with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, visited this Friday the Son Mesquidassa dam, in Felanitx, in order to find out how the current one is progressing olive collection campaign destined for DO Oli de Mallorca. Together with the owners of the operation, Cristòfol Rosselló, and his manager, Juan Alcaide, they have taken a tour of the facilities and have been able to assess the situation of the sector in a context in which the price of oil olive at the national level continues its upward trend.

Prohens explained that the data from this oil campaign already exceed 2.5 million kilos of olives collected and more than 350,000 liters of oil with designation of origin produced: “We are facing a clear example, if not the best, of a living primary sector, which we want to accompany and support because it is key for our Islands». For this reason, the Prime Minister pointed out, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment will have a budget of 152 million next year, 24 million more than in 2023, an 18.7% increase. “We reaffirm our commitment to the primary sector, to our countryside, to our farmers and producers and to the local product,” said Prohens.

The president of the executive has stressed that the primary sector and farming “is not a decoration for us, but an economic sector, which we want to make profitable”. Prohens has insisted on the fact that, despite the difficulties in this sector, especially those linked to insularity, “the local and quality product produced in the Balearic Islands is a guarantee of success, and one of the best proofs it’s the oil.”

“The countryside, the agricultural sector and products such as oil are a sign of identity of the Islands, which connect us with our roots, with our way of being and with our history, which constitutes a heritage that we must to preserve”, said the President of the Government.

For his part, Simonet highlighted that “the oil from the DO Oli de Mallorca is a high-quality and differentiated local product that, moreover, has not suffered the price increases that other oils have had. Therefore, at the moment, acquiring oil from Mallorca is an excellent opportunity for the consumer, who consumes a more sustainable product and at the same time helps in the fight against climate change.’ The councilor added that “we can already say that this vintage is very good, both in terms of quantity and quality”.

The visit was also attended by the mayoress of Felanitx, Catalina Soler; the general director of the Government’s Agricultural Quality and Local Product, Joan Llabrés; the president of the Regulatory Council of the DO Oli de Mallorca, Joan Mayol, and a representative of the producers registered in the DO. During the meeting, provisional olive collection and oil production data for the current campaign were given, which reflects an increase in production. Although it has not ended, 2,684,408 kilos of olives have been collected so far, 51% more than in the same period last year. In addition, and according to data from DO Oli de Mallorca, 359,062 liters of extra virgin olive oil have already been produced.

Regarding the number of producers, the DO Oli de Mallorca has a total of 1,122, 3% more than the 2022-2023 campaign. The cultivated area has also increased by 4.94% more than the previous campaign and there are currently 4,329.8 hectares of olive groves intended for Mallorca DO oil, 203.5 hectares more than in 2022. The number of olive trees, for therefore, it has also increased compared to 2022 by 3.02%. Currently, there are 857,501 olive trees.