A bad harvest caused by drought and heatwaves has sent olive prices rocketing, making the fruits and oil like ‘jewellery’ to thieves. REUTERS REUTERS/Matko Biljak
MADRID ‒ Spanish police have seized 74 tons of stolen olives in the southern province of Seville, the latest theft triggered by soaring prices caused by a dwindling harvest.
Twelve people were arrested for their suspected involvement in the theft and trading of the olives, police said yesterday.
Spain is the world’s largest producer of olives and olive oil. Heatwaves when the olive trees were flowering and a severe drought have caused a plunge in production, driving up prices. A similar harvest is expected in 2024.
Police have also detected thefts of olive oil.
Some 6 000 litres of bottled extra virgin olive oil were stolen in September from premium oil producer Terraverne, in Teba, a small village in Malaga province.
Spokesperson Laura Larrubia Nogales said: “With the prices of olive oil, stealing oil is now like stealing jewellery.”
Marin Serrano El Lagar, an oil press in Carcabuey, Cordoba, had about 50 000 litres of olive oil stolen a few days later. - Reuters
The Independent on Saturday
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