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Italy hosts the 62nd Advisory Committee for Olive Oil and Table Olives
On Wednesday 29 May, Italy welcomed the delegates of the IOC’s Advisory Committee (AC) for Olive Oil and Table Olives. Around 80 sector representatives from all over the world gathered in Siena to reflect on the current state of the olive industry and evaluate its current challenges and opportunities. The AC is a unique and highly valuable discussion forum for the olive sector stakeholders and the IOC, enabling olive oil and table olive producer, consumer, industry and trade representatives to determine challenges and priorities for the future.
The session, organized with the support of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, was held at the Santa Maria della Scala Museum complex in Siena. The meeting opened with welcoming remarks from the Undersecretary of State for the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Patrizio Giacomo La Pietra; the Chairman of the IOC’s Council of Members, Javad Mirarabrazi; AC Chairman, Absessalem Loued; the AC Vice-President for Olive Oil, Gennaro Sicolo; and the IOC’s Executive Director, Jaime Lillo. The meeting was chaired by the last four, along with M’Hmaed Belasla, AC Vice-President for Table Olives.
The IOC Executive Secretariat put forward the activities carried out from the 61st AC meeting and the draft decisions that will be submitted to the upcoming 119th session of the Council of Members. Among the many topics of discussion on the occasion of the 62nd AC session, the sector representatives presented their previsions for the next campaign, deliberated on the impact of climate change on olive oil production and the prospects behind measuring the olive tree’s carbon balance, the ravaging ramifications of the Xylella fastidiosa pest, and the importance of fostering international cooperation to face common challenges. The IOC Executive Director took note of the participants’ interventions, appreciating their valuable inputs and shared experiences.
On the margins of the 62nd AC session, IOC Director Lillo and Undersecretary of State La Pietra held a bilateral meeting that reaffirmed the close relationship between the IOC and the Italian Republic.
This timely gathering was topped off by a technical visit organized by the Italian authorities to the olive growing areas of Tuscany. The participants had the opportunity to visit the olive mills and installations of the Oleificio Toscano Morettini Frantoio di San Gimignano and the Tuscan Olive Growers Association (Olivicoltori Toscani Associati), as well as the packer complex of the Montalbano Agricola Alimentare Toscana, bringing them closer to one of Italy’s most important olive oil and table olive producing regions.
