The olive tree “disease of the century” could make olive oil very expensive

Many Cypriots and Mediterranean people generally cannot live without olive oil and lemon. Olive oil and lemon are two very important ingredients of our diet. Now, according to some reports, the olive tree “disease of the century” threatens to make our olive oil very expensive or even disappear from our table.

Matt McGrath, Environment correspondent of BBC News reported on 12/04/2020 that according to researchers “the economic costs of a deadly pathogen affecting olive trees in Europe could run to over €20 billion”. They have modelled the future worst impacts of the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen which has killed swathes of trees in Italy.

Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium which is described by a Greek source as “a serial killer” is spread by insects and, especially, by an insect called Philaenus spumarius, which has been proved by studies in Italy to be the “vehicle” for spreading the bacterium from tree to tree.

According to the same BBC report, the bacterium now poses a potential threat to olive plantations in Spain and Greece. As a result, the disease could increase the costs of olive oil for consumers.

Xylella is considered to be one of the most dangerous pathogens for plants anywhere in the world. At present there is no cure for the infection. It can infect cherry, almond and plum trees as well as olives.

It should be noted, however, that similar reports appeared on Greek digital media at least as far back as August 2016.