Forecast for the Olive Harvest in 2026

This summer, the heat in Italy has been intense in northern and central Italy and there was hardly any rain there from mid-June to early August. There have been occasional violent storms with rain that got a lot of coverage in the news, and some really big hail storms that caused a lot of damage, but for the most part, there has not been any significant rain until very recently. There was even a tornado near Rome and a couple in Umbria. The south of Italy is not the same, as the heat wave was not as intense.

Those vineyards growing grapes where they irrigate their vines are reporting that the grapes are doing very well. In fact, they have begun picking grapes in the first part of August because the grapes are ready now. But due to the intense heat, the picking starts at 3am so that the workers are not suffering in the midday heat. The growers are optimistic about the quality of the harvest.

For the olive growers, the heat and drought have a side benefit – the growers are seeing much lower damage from the Med fly. Last year, especially in central Italy, the Med fly caused much damage in lower elevations, so much so that many producers chose not to even bother to harvest their olives. But this year is completely different and growers are optimistic about the harvest.

Now we need to see some significant rain so that the olives can swell up and result in a good oil content. But for now, the olives are undersized due to the drought conditions for those who do not irrigate. We are hoping for a good outcome in September and October. As for exactly when to harvest, we will see how it goes.