A Comparison of Cost in Organic and Conventional Olive Oil Production in Greece

An economic analysis of conventional and organic olive oil cultivation was examined in one of the most important olive-growing regions in Greece. Based on structured interviews and open-ended questions of 60 farmers from both organic and conventional systems, this study aimed to clarify the cost and returns of organic olive oil cultivation in comparison with conventional farming. Olive oil cultivation cost was calculated as 2.60 € kg-1 in organic and 2.25 € kg-1 in conventional system. The selling price for organic olive production was 4.19 € kg-1 compared to 3.63 € kg-1 for conventional production. Net profit from organic olive oil cultivation was 7,043.43 € ha-1, which was 3,664.58 € ha-1 higher than the net profit from conventional cultivation. Finally, in both types of olive farming the results of financial analysis attested to a positive convenience; however, organic farming is more advantageous providing a financially competitive alternative to conventional.