Argentina's Rural Development Foundation Institute (IDR) has forecast a significant drop in olive production in the province of Mendoza this year, which will likely be at a level of 35% of 2013's figure.

More than a third of the estimated 28,277 metric tons (MT) of olives produced will belong to the cultivar Arauco, followed by Arbequina (6,811MT) and Empeltre (3,020MT).

The report, titled 'Estimation of the Olive harvest, Mendoza 2014', highlights olives are the second most cultivated fruit in the province after grapes.

Data from a 2002 census show that Mendoza is Argentina's fourth largest olive-growing province, but it is the only one with a harvest estimation program.

The province currently has 20,646 hectares of surface area dedicated to the crop, of which 78% are in a productive state.

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