Italian Olive Oil Industry Fears Moroccan Competition Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Moroccan olive oil scares the Italians. Sicily risks losing 80% of its extra virgin olive oil because of the new coronavirus crisis, worries Salvino Caputo, the head of the regional department of productive activities and business support for Forza Italia. The solution for him lies in limiting Moroccan competition among others, to safeguard jobs related to the cultivation and production of oil.

According to Giornale di Sicilia, Salvino Caputo wants, in collaboration with some farmers, to take measures to deal with the strong competition from olive oil production in Greece, Tunisia, Spain and Morocco, and for this, "We now need government interventions to support the sector through the regional government in order to avoid irreparable damage to a quality agricultural sector," justifies Caputo.