Productivity Dynamics and Sustainability in Greek Olive Oil Cooperatives

The sustainability of olive oil cooperatives is a critical issue for the stability and competitiveness of the Mediterranean agri-food sector in an environment of increasing environmental pressures, structural constraints, and changing market conditions. This study assesses the performance and sustainability of 33 Greek olive oil cooperatives over the period 2020–2024 using a non-radial Maximum Distance from the Frontier (MDF) DEA model and the Malmquist Productivity Index. The empirical results highlight strong structural heterogeneity in performance, with average technical efficiency under constant returns to scale remaining relatively low (mean CRS efficiency = 0.49) and scale efficiency averaging 0.77, indicating that a large share of cooperatives operates far from the best-practice frontier and below optimal production scale. The diachronic evolution of productivity appears moderate and unstable, driven mainly by improvements in relative efficiency rather than technological progress. The Malmquist analysis reveals an average technological change index below unity (mean TECHCH = 0.84), reflecting the slow diffusion of modern processing and standardization technologies across the sector. By integrating static and dynamic efficiency analyses, the study provides a comprehensive assessment of productivity dynamics and sustainability challenges in Greek olive oil cooperatives. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of structural inequalities and highlight the economic foundations of sustainability in cooperative agri-food systems, offering directions for the transition toward more sustainable and competitive production patterns.