Italy surpassed 309,000 tonnes of olive oil in stock and sharply increased its inventories

Italy recorded, as of 28 February 2026, a total of 309,244 tonnes of olive oil in storage, representing an increase of 3.3% compared to January and a rise of 42.6% versus the same period the previous year, confirming a strong build-up of stocks across the country .

Extra virgin olive oil remained the dominant category, with 246,022 tonnes accounting for 79.6% of total stocks. Within this segment, oil of Italian origin played a decisive role, making up nearly 67% of the volume, while oils from the European Union and non-EU countries completed the supply . This growth was particularly notable year-on-year, with extra virgin olive oil increasing by 56.2% overall and by more than 80% in the case of Italian-origin oil .

Other categories had a significantly smaller share of total inventories. Lampante olive oil accounted for 5.4%, refined olive oil for 4.2%, and olive pomace oil for 8.4%, while virgin olive oil represented just 1.2%, confirming the Italian market’s strong focus on higher-quality products .

From a geographical perspective, southern Italy held 56.1% of total stocks, driven mainly by Puglia, which alone accounted for more than 37% of the national total, and Calabria, with over 11%. At the regional level, Puglia, Tuscany and Calabria together represented 65.4% of total inventories, highlighting a high territorial concentration of supply . At the provincial level, Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani stood out for their particularly high concentration of stocks .

In the quality segment, oils with Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication accounted for 7.8% of total stocks, exceeding 26 million litres. Within this category, a small number of designations concentrated most of the volume, indicating a strong level of concentration .

Meanwhile, organic olive oil reached nearly 50,000 tonnes, marking a 79.2% increase compared to the previous year. This segment accounted for more than 20% of the extra virgin olive oil stored, with a strong presence in regions such as Puglia, Calabria, Tuscany and Sicily .

Overall, stock developments were driven by the sharp increase in extra virgin olive oil, the growing weight of organic production, and the geographical concentration of supply, within a context of a general rise in available volumes in the Italian market