Madrid, world capital of olive oil

The first edition of the Olive Oil World Congress (OOWC) was inaugurated this morning in the auditorium of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Madrid which, from today until June 28, becomes the world capital of olive oil. It is a meeting that is organized for the first time in the world and will cover all the links in the production of this product, with the aim of presenting the main technological developments that will enable the sector to address the challenge of climate change and improve its competitiveness in the future.

More than 300 participants of 25 nationalities will meet during these three days in this meeting that is designed for all types of professionals, operators and researchers in the sector, which is born with the aim of becoming every two years the most important event in the world for the industry.

The opening and institutional act of the OOWC was attended by Francisco Javier Moreno, vice president of International Relations of the CSIC; Pedro Barato, president of Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva Español; Raúl Compés, director of the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) in Zaragoza; Abdessalem Loued, president of the IOC Advisory Committee; and Javad Mirarab, president of the International Olive Oil Council (IOC).

Barato pointed out that "this congress is going to be the place where we are going to start preparing for the challenges ahead. And, sincerely, I am glad that it is being held in Spain, since few sectors of the world economy offer such solid leadership as that of our country in olive oil".

Compés claimed that we must all work together, investing in knowledge and human capital to improve this sector. Loued, on the other hand, stressed the need for innovation: "Quality is essential to conquer the large markets that are not yet convinced to use olive oil in their food. We have to produce quality and offer consumers around the world this product at the best possible price and, for that, we need innovation".

For Mirarab, "this event will undoubtedly bring a global community such as the olive oil community together more intimately and with a double motivation: to examine problems and solve shortcomings".

After this institutional act, Jaime Lillo, executive director of the IOC, gave the opening speech 'A vision for the future: meeting challenges, leveraging opportunities', in which he stated that "we must produce more oil and in a sustainable way, although we also have to face the challenge of globalization. Our role is that, wherever in the world someone opens a bottle of olive oil, they will have a good experience".

Climate change, lack of water and many other issues that have occurred in the last two years have generated a significant decline in campaigns around the world. "The celebration of the first edition of the OOWC is an important opportunity for all world producers to exchange experiences and knowledge that will allow them to improve production structures and prepare them to face the near future, not only in the Mediterranean arc but also in the new producing countries," said Ricardo Migueláñez, general coordinator of the congress, who spoke during the opening of the congress.

As could not be otherwise, during the OOWC the theory will also be put into practice and, with the help of the Interóleo Group, all the lunches and breakfasts of the congress will be accompanied by extra virgin olive oil from this company, one of the most important operators in marketing worldwide.

Under the slogan 'Taste it, enjoy, It's olive oil', the OOWC is organised in collaboration with AgroBank, MSC, CIA-Agricoltori Italiani, John Deere, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food through its strategy #alimentosdEspaña, the Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva Español, the Junta de Andalucía through its brand 'Gusto del Sur', Filiera Oleicola Olearia Italiana and 'Campo y Alma', the food quality guarantee brand of Castilla-La Mancha, as Platinum sponsors; Grupo Interóleo, Büttner, Yara International, GEA, OLEOMAQ-Oleotec, AGQ Labs and Balam Agriculture as Gold sponsors; the company Kubota, Hispatec, Asoliva, Todolivo and SGS as Silver sponsors; Agrocolor as other sponsors. Agrotec, Voz do Campo, Puglia Live, Grupo Joly and Oleo are the Media Partners of the OOWC.