The plant is designed to crush up to 35 million bushels of soybeans annually, with plans to process sunflower, canola, and camelina by 2026.
The surge is driven mainly by favorable weather conditions and an expanded olive harvest expected to hit 2 million tons, compared with 950,000 tons last year.
The government had aimed to buy between 4-5 million tons of wheat from local farmers during the 2024/25 season.
The United States already accounts for more than a quarter of CBO’s olive oil sales, underscoring its strategic importance.
The proposed 10% hike would apply across refined and crude edible oil categories, potentially narrowing the price gap between imported and domestically produced oils.