On November 22nd, the International Olive Council celebrated the World Olive Day 2018, with the presence of the Ministers of Agriculture from Spain, Luis Planas, from Tunisia, Samir Taieb, and from Egypt, Ezz El Din Abu Steit.
In the same, the general director from IOC, Abdellatif Ghedira highlighted the value of the Committee as “safeguarding quality and standards, the IOC is above all a hotbed of over a thousand specialists and experts in the field of olive-growing. Researchers, engineers, economists, chemists, tasters, nutritionists, statisticians… all engage with the science as one through the forum that is the IOC, in the planned meetings and the over 150 laboratories officially recognised by us around the world”.
On this World Olive Day – highlighted Ghedira -“we renew our call for producers to keep using good practices all along the production chain in order to offer consumers the best of this nectar, and for consumers to continue to demand high quality oil for their health and for a product that can help in the fight against climate change for generations to come”.
Abdellatif Ghedira concluded by renewing our call for intergovernmental, international and regional organisations to work with us in order to foster sustainable development, to ensure fair pay for small farmers in difficult areas, to conserve natural resources and to promote a healthy and balanced diet.
The Executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Agriculture is working on the request for the recognition by UNESCO of the World Olive Day for 2019, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the IOC.