<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre><< FYI the IOOC Table Olive Committee has given the table olive production
of the USA (% of world output) as about 6% for 1998/1999 and about 9% for
1999/2000. The total production has remained virtually static over this
period, so your increase has compensated for a decrease elsewhere. I
couldn't believe the figures when I saw them, as 13% sounded way off the
mark. Do you perhaps know what proportion of the US table crop is
hand-harvested these days? >>

Guido,

Ouch. After reading your data, I went back and looked at my sources. Seems
I should have looked closer. It was over 10 years old. MANY apologies.

On the other hand, we're currently up to a whopping ** 1% ** of the world
olive oil market. <laughing> Hey... a decade ago, it was .1 percent. If
this keeps up, in another 7301 years, we'll be a leader. <joke>

Thank you, Guido, for correcting me. And my sincere apologies for spouting
old data at this list.

Best wishes,

Antony
</pre>
</td></tr></table>