Lake Garda Olive Harvest Shows Patchy Results Amid Climate Challenges

But the October rain saved Lake Garda’s upper area. June was too hot, and olive harvesting is in crisis.

The olive harvest in the Garda Riviera has begun recently. Therefore, it is difficult to make accurate projections about the season. However, the current picture appears to be patchy.

While a clear recovery is evident in the upper lake area, a negative situation seems to prevail in the middle-lower lake. As always, all of this must be related to the previous years.

Forecasts and data on production

“This year, we expect to exceed five thousand quintals of olives,” report from the Consorzio olivicoltori di Malcesine, which groups over five hundred members, “some even speculate it could reach seven thousand, though that figure might be overly ambitious.”

No, the heavy rains of October did not cause damage but only caused the olives to swell. This likely means a lower yield for the early harvest. Compared to 1999, a year characterized by the olive fly (Dacus olea) and a production of only 1,200 quintals in Malcesine, a significantly positive season now seems likely.

Situation in Lake Garda’s middle area

The situation differs for Lake Garda’s middle area, according to Umberto Turri, owner of the oil mill in Cisano.

“Unlike the Casaliva variety, produced precisely in the upper lake area, there’s a decline of around 30 percent in the Toscana variety. This is due to the excessive heat experienced in June, right during the olive flowering period.”

Harvest prospects and effects of the heat

“The production will definitely be slightly lower than last year,” states Emanuele Veronesi of the Omonimo Frantoio di Lazise. “Unfortunately, the promising outlook has been overshadowed by the intense heat of June, which affected the olive flowering.”

“As for myself, I should see an increase in the harvest, but only because I have more plants than in the past.”