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UJA has launched a new Chair on Historic and Economic Studies of the Olive Industry
On Wednesday 13 March, the IOC Executive Director Jaime Lillo travelled to Jaén for the inauguration event of the University of Jaén’s (UJA) new Chair on Historic and Economic Studies of the Olive Industry. For the occasion, UJA organized a seminar under the title “Historical analysis of agri-food cooperatives in the province of Jaén: factors that boosted the birth of cooperativism and its modernization”. Jaime Lillo kicked off the event with a presentation centred around the IOC’s history, from its establishment under the United Nations up to today. He congratulated the UJA for its role as the international reference in the field of research in the olive sector, and highlighted the importance of collaboration between public and private entities for advancing knowledge. Lillo also issued a message to producers urging them to prioritize value generation amidst sector uncertainty. He emphasized that focusing on high-quality olive oil production is the key to meeting the rising global demand for olive oils.
In the framework of the event, Lillo met with UJA’s Rector, Nicolás Ruiz, to expand the scope and impact of the activities that the IOC and UJA organize jointly. The UJA is one of the IOC’s longtime partners. Both institutions collaborate on a number of activities related to the olive sector, such as the seminar on the “Sustainable valorization of by-products and waste minimization in the olive industry” and the “International Expert Course in Olive Oil Tasting”.
The IOC’s Executive Director also met with Francisco Reyes, President of the Provincial Government of Jaén, and visited the installations of local producers and cooperatives.
