Béjaïa expects nearly 16 million litres of olive oil this season

The agricultural services of Béjaïa wilaya expect nearly 16 million litres of olive oil for the 2026-2027 season, according to a forecast given to the Algerian Press Service (APS).

Mohamed Boutiba Benkelaouz, director of agricultural services in Béjaïa, gave the forecast on Monday. The harvest officially began on 29 October in Bouhamza commune.

Maghreb Emergent reported that olive groves cover 57,000 hectares in the wilaya, which has 12% of the national olive orchard. Nearly 45% of the wilaya's farmland is planted with olives, so olive growing forms a large part of local farming.

The directorate plans to renew orchards, increase planting and expand irrigation. These steps are meant to raise yields and make better use of the region's olive potential.

Planting and mills

During the 2025-2026 season, a planting programme put 100,000 olive trees on 230 hectares. The operation cost 470m dinars (DZD) and aimed to renew and extend productive land.

The wilaya has 393 olive mills, made up of 133 semi-automatic units, 100 continuous-chain installations and 160 traditional mills. Together they can crush 2,260 quintals of olives an hour.

Modernising this equipment is meant to improve processing conditions, and public authorities continue to support new modern mills through agricultural credit. Several funding requests are being examined.

What comes next

Farms hit by fires are also a priority. Damaged areas will be replanted and orchards restored under compensation schemes.

The promotion of Béjaïa olive oil on national and international markets is another axis of development for the sector.

A meeting with sector professionals is planned soon to examine the difficulties facing the sector and measures to support its development.