MADRID, Aug 21 Reuters Sunflower oil has dethroned olive oil as king of the kitchen in Spain, the worlds largest olive oil producer, as rising prices force consumers to switch to cheaper options.

Spaniards bought 107 million litres 28.3 million gallons of all types of olive oil in the first half of 2024 compared to 179 million litres of sunflower oil, according to Spain39;s biggest olive oil bottling association, Anierac.

Until this year, olive oil has been the most popular cooking oil in Spanish households, accounting for 62 of sales by volume in 2023 while sunflower oil represented almost 34, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

It is clear that olive oil consumption is falling in Spain, said Primitivo Fernandez, spokesman for Anierac. There are households that used to buy only olive oil and for the first time are now buying sunflower oil and olive oil, he said.

Olive oil sales by volume fell 18 from the first half of 2023, Anierac said. Sunflower oil sales increased by 25 in volume last year, according to official data.

A bottle of sunflower oil cost an average of 1.86 euros 2.07 a litre last year, while pricier olive oil types cost upwards of 6 euros a litre, 50 more than in 2022, official data showed.

Spain usually supplies around 40 of the world39;s olive oil, but heatwaves in the spring and a prolonged drought reduced olive harvests over the past two years, doubling olive oil prices to record levels.

That has pushed the staple of the Mediterranean…