Xylella fastidiosa is the culprit, the engine first in Puglia on the loose and spreads further means.
In the South of Italy, the olive farmers had to watch as the centuries-old trees, only brown leaves, then dry strains received, and finally died.
21 million trees will be affected in this southern Italian Region, reported the ‘mirror’ in August. In Puglia, the main olive growing region in Italy, and, according to a ‘Daily Mail’ even 60 million.
Sick trees: How are the prospects?
The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa has been a while known and may also cause damage to other crops the damage, including grape vines, coffee plants, and peach trees. Since 2013 it makes about olive trees.
The olive harvest in Italy fell from 2018, 50 percent lower than usual. The country had to first import the olive oil. In the South of France, in the North of Portugal and on Corsica, the bacterium was also observed at its deadly work.
How it will continue to spread is still unclear – a means there is not, however, however even.
And yet something makes the olive growers in southern Europe to create the climate change. A series of extremely dry summers has already had an impact on the yields of Spanish olive trees.
The trend: olive oil is becoming scarcer in the coming years and, therefore, more expensive.
The largest producer of Olive oil: Spain
Besides Italy, Spain is the largest producer of olive oil – 1.3 million tons of the Iberian Peninsula returns Peninsula annually. The olive trees in Spain remained from the bacterial infection be spared. However, it remains to be seen.
The question is also: Can absorb the other southern European countries the tough loss in Italy?
Just for the Mediterranean kitchen olive oil is the most popular ingredient for all the dishes.
Alternatives for olive oil
But the olive oil is the only cooking oil with healthy Benefits, which is suitable for cooking and baking.
Cold-pressed rapeseed oil and linseed oil provide valuable Omega-3 fatty acids and are particularly suitable for the cold kitchen.
With refined rapeseed oil frying and baking is particularly good because it withstands high temperatures better – even better than the olive oil, and is also neutral in taste.
Wonderfully aromatic salads with nut oils, or, for example, with pumpkin seed oil.
There are many healthy Alternatives. It is to be hoped that the spread of the bacterium continues unabated and that soon a cure will be found. Then you can continue to enjoy the delicious cold-pressed olive oil.
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*The contribution of “bacterial infection: there’ll be no olive oil?” is published by FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.