Olive oil is the oil that results from squeezing or pressing the olives, the olive is a tree that grows in the Mediterranean basin. Olive oil is used in cooking, pharmacy, medicine, soap and at the ignition of oil stoves. Olive oil is used frequently for being a healthy food rich in vitamins and beneficial fats.
There are more than 750 million olive tree grown in all parts of the world, 95% of them in the Mediterranean region. More global production comes from South Europe and the Maghreb and the middle east.
In Spain alone, there is more than 215 million tree over an area of two million hectares, equivalent to 27% of the cultivated area in the world.
The global production in 2002 was 2.6 million metric tons, in which Spain has contributed by 40% to 45% .then Tunisia 7%. Turkey has produced in 2006 about 5 % of the global production similar to the ratio of the Spanish province “Jaen” alone. 93% of the European production comes from Spain, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Syria and Turkey.