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Mr. Abdellatif Ghedira, the Executive Director of the International Olive Council (IOC); Mr.Ibrahim El Dukheri, the Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD); and Mr. Abdelkrim Adi, the Head of the Olive Growing, Olive Technology and Environment Unit of the IOC, paid a visit to the University of Córdoba (UCO). They toured its rectorate, the Rabanales campus and the olive germplasm bank facility to learn about the research the UCO is conducting on the field of olive growing.
During their visit, they were welcomed by Enrique Quesada Moraga and Luis Medina Canalejo, the vice-rectors for research and territorial development, and for culture, communication and social projection respectively. At Rabanales, they were welcomed by Rafael Jordano, the general coordinator of the UCO campus; Enrique Leganés, the head of campus management and administration service at Rabanales; and Rosa Gallardo, the director of the School of Agricultural Engineering and Forestry (ETSIAM). The olive germplasm bank, as well as the UCO’s work on conserving plant genetic resources and certifying olive nursery plants, were presented by Pablo Morello, the Head of the Olive Oil Technology and Environment Department of the IOC (who also oversaw the BGMO until its incorporation into the IOC); Luis Rallo, the emeritus professor and coordinator of the IOC network of germplasm banks; and by the staff of the UCOLIVO research group. UCO Professor Isabel Trujillo explained the importance of varietal authentication and the work being carried in the UCO molecular marker laboratory.
During the visit, the IOC, the AOAD and the UCO all stressed the importance of cooperation between the three institutions to develop the initiatives being carried out at the UCO with the support of the IOC, as well as proposals for future lines of understanding and collaboration in order to promote synergy and benefit all areas of the olive sector.
