Tunisia exported a record 381,200 tons of olive oil worth roughly €1.42 billion in the first ten months of the 2025/2026 crop year, a 50.8% jump in volume over the previous year — yet 85.5% of that oil still left the country in unbranded bulk shipments, according to new data from Tunisia’s National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI).
The volume already exceeds the 365,000 tons Tunisia exported in the entire 2019/2020 crop year, with two months of the current season still to be counted. But while exports are climbing, the value captured per kilogram is not keeping pace: the 50.8% rise in volume outran the 41.2% rise in revenue, meaning the average export price per kilogram actually fell by about 6% year over year.
Bulk Still Rules, But the Price Gap Is Widening
Packaged olive oil made up just 14.5% of Tunisia’s export volume during the period, but generated 19.3% of total revenue — proof that branded, bottled oil earns a real premium over bulk. ONAGRI figures put the average export value at roughly TND 16.7 per kilogram for packaged oil, against TND 11.8 per kilogram for bulk, a gap of more than 40%. “Bulk business is great. It drives money, and it helps us grow the business. But diversification is more important,” Ahmed Hamza, co-founder and managing director of award-winning producer Olyfo, told Olive Oil Times.
Spain and Italy Still Buy Most of It — For Now
Spain purchased 31.9% of Tunisian olive oil exports by volume between November 2025 and August 2026, with Italy taking another 19.8% — together more than half of everything Tunisia shipped abroad. The concentration is even sharper for organic oil, where Italy alone accounted for 39% of export volume and only 6.3% of Tunisia’s organic exports left the country packaged. Faouzi Zayani, president of the Zitouna association, has warned that oil shipped in bulk is often blended abroad and marketed with generic labels like “non-EU,” without Tunisia’s name ever reaching the shelf. Tunisia’s export promotion agency, CEPEX, says it plans to more than double its olive oil promotional initiatives to over 50 in 2026, with a sharper focus on packaged oil and new markets. For buyers working with Tunisian olive oil suppliers, this is a window to negotiate direct, traceable, packaged shipments before that value gap closes.
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FAQ
How much olive oil did Tunisia export in 2025/2026? Tunisia exported 381,200 tons of olive oil worth TND 4.78 billion (about €1.42 billion) in the first ten months of the 2025/2026 crop year, a 50.8% increase in volume over the same period a year earlier, according to Tunisia’s National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI).
Why does most Tunisian olive oil still export in bulk? Roughly 85.5% of Tunisia’s olive oil exports moved in bulk rather than under Tunisian brands, because decades-old trade relationships with buyers in Spain and Italy make bulk sales faster and easier than building the logistics, warehousing and local distribution a recognized export brand requires.
Source: Olive Oil Times
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