World production saw the best crop year ever in 2011/12 when it reached 3 377 500 t, but in the current 2012/13 season it looks set to be 26 pc lower, dropping to a similar level as in 2002/03. This drop in aggregate output is primarily due to a decrease of 1 006 600 t in Spain’s production, down by 62 pc from the season before. As a result, the production figure of the EU/27 countries taken as a whole is 919 500 t lower (-38%) although Greece shows an increase of 22 pc.