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Meeting with the New Minister of Agriculture
The Deputy Executive Director of the International Olive Council (IOC), Abderraouf Laajimi, met on 19 February with Tunisia’s newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Ezzedine Ben Cheikh, to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration between the intergovernmental organisation and the Tunisian olive sector.
As a founding member of the IOC, Tunisia has always actively participated in the Organisation’s activities, particularly within its Advisory Committee on Olive Oil and Table Olives. The senior IOC official presented the Organisation’s latest initiatives in standardisation, research, and promotion, and reaffirmed the IOC’s support for the Tunisian olive sector.
The discussions focused in particular on capacity building for Tunisian experts, especially in the field of olive oil sensory assessment and technical aspects, as well as Tunisia’s potential role within the IOC network of olive germplasm banks. In this regard, he encouraged Tunisia to establish its own national olive genetic material bank to preserve its rich olive-growing heritage.
The Minister confirmed Tunisia’s commitment to deepening its collaboration with the IOC to support the growth of the country’s olive sector and welcomed future research projects, sustainable development initiatives, and market expansion efforts implemented by the Organisation.
