STUDY OF HARVESTING METHODS AND NECESSITY OF OLIVE HARVESTING ROBOT

The optimization of harvesting methods is related to the goal of reducing costs of production of olive oil and table olive in Europe. To compete with the overseas producers (whose pricing structure is influenced by various subsidies) European producers must be able to produce good quality olive oil at around $4.50 liter and table olive. To achieve this, Europe must be able to harvest quickly at the ideal time of harvest and cost effectively (around 5-10 cents/kg of fruit or 30-60c/ liter of oil), the only way to archive all those needs is the use of a harvesting robot.