Record Olive Harvest Forecasted for Basso Sarca’s Growing Industry

For the olive growing industry of Basso Sarca, a golden year is forecasted. A record. These predictions have already been indicated by the Associazione Agraria di Riva and confirmed by Ivo Bertamini, owner of the Vignole mill, which just went into operation yesterday.

Compared to last year’s production, which was around 7,000 quintals, 2001 should yield 8,000 quintals of olives, possibly more. The yield, i.e., the ratio between the weight of the olives and the oil extracted from pressing, is currently at 10%, but will improve up to 17% as the fruits dry out. The long hot summer, characterized by frequent but not abundant rains, has led to a boom in native olives, aided by the adoption of new techniques for combating the olive fly.

Control methods and production

In July, “traps” were set up which, by inducing sexual confusion in the insect, prevented its reproduction and spread. “This system proved to be very effective: it worked for 95% of the crops, considering that in the flat areas the coverage was complete, slightly less on the hills,” says Ivo Bertamini, an industry expert.

Consequently, very few olives fallen to the ground. However, the increase in production in Busa can also be partly attributed to the spreading of olive cultivation. For some years now, in spring, between 800 and 1,000 new plants are planted.

As a result, I will have to operate the mill every day and most nights until mid-February. About one-third of the 8,000 quintals of olives from Busa pass through Bertamini’s mill. Farmers who prefer traditional pressing methods using stone mills go there.

This peculiarity attracts dozens of school groups and various foreign television stations to Vignole. Processing times are, of course, the slow ones of times past; however, the recent installation of a second mill allows Bertamini to process 6 quintals of olives per hour, compared to 3 in previous years.

“The old method is a prerogative that appeals to us producers,” comments Enzo Bonetti, who owns a grove of 800 trees in Ceole and is also part of the board of the Associazione Olivicoltori del Triveneto. The product remains unaltered. Just observe the oil currently coming out of Bertamini’s mill: analyses have shown an acidity of 0.01%, practically nil, well below the legal limit which is between 0.1% and 0.3%.

The remaining issue is the unprofitability of olive cultivation. If I were to consider my time, I would need to charge at least 50,000 lire for a liter of oil, compared to around 20,000 from the market.