The Olive Oil World Congress (OOWC), which is being held these days in Madrid, has concluded its first day addressing some of the most important issues of concern to the sector today such as climate change, lack of water, the circularity of production and new genetics that is representing a major change in olive growing worldwide.
The first block of presentations, entitled 'Olive oil and climate change', sponsored by John Deere, was attended by Juan Antonio Polo, head of Olive Oil Technology and Environment of the International Olive Oil Council (IOC); Georgios Koubouris, researcher and head of the Laboratory of Olive Growing at the Institute of Olive, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture of Greece; Roberto Garcia, Professor of Ecology at the University of Jaen (UJA); Emilio J. González, PhD in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Córdoba (UCO); and Kostas Chartzoulakis, senior researcher at the Institute of Olive and Subtropical Plants (NAGREF) in Greece.
In the presentation 'The olive oil sector facing climate change: part of the solution', Polo pointed out that "the soil is the main asset of the olive grove" and that "the decarbonization of processes, both agronomic and industrial, is crucial to reduce emissions".
Next, in 'Carbon balance in olive groves', García explained that "in Mediterranean regions such as Greece, Italy, Morocco and Portugal, most olive plantations show a positive carbon balance. This means that they not only contribute to the sustainable production of olive oil, but also play a crucial role in carbon capture and storage, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change," he added.
Finally, Chartzoulakis in 'Improving irrigation efficiency in drought-affected olive groves', has indicated that "in response to water scarcity, innovative irrigation practices are being implemented in agriculture. Traditional methods are being replaced by modern pressurized systems. These systems also allow the precise application of fertilizers, which improves agricultural productivity in water-constrained regions".
In the next segment, called 'Genetics and Plant Production' and sponsored by Interprofesional del Aceite de Oliva Español, participated Álvaro Toledo, Undersecretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources of FAO; Pablo Morello, head of the Olive Variety Testing Center of the UCO; Hristofor Miho, researcher at UCO; Pedro Valverde, researcher at UCO; and Blanca Landa, researcher at the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IAS) of CSIC in Cordoba.
In the presentation 'The genetic resources of the olive tree in the context of climate change: The role of the GEN4OLIVE project', Miho stressed that, "when evaluating the quality of the oil, it is crucial to consider both the time elapsed since the formation of the olive and the color of the fruit and its maturity index. Harvest date significantly influences the variability of oil accumulation, with oleic acid being the component that increases the most in the quality index."
Likewise, Valverde, in his presentation 'Advances and challenges in olive cultivation', indicated that the development of a new olive variety requires meeting several fundamental objectives. He highlighted the need to ensure high productivity and resistance to certain diseases and pests. In addition, he mentioned that additional qualities are also sought, specific to each variety, which may vary from one to another.
The day concluded with Block C: 'Challenges in manufacturing processes: Digital transformation and valorization of by-products'. The segment sponsored by the German company Büttner, consisted of two round tables with the participation of Fernando Martínez, R&D&I specialist at the Seville Institute of Fat; Lola Pérez, professor and deputy director of International and Institutional Relations at the School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering (ETSIAM); Rosa Gallardo, director of the ETSIAM at the University of Cordoba; Stefan Pecoroni, vice president of Process Technology and Innovation at GEA Group; Steffen Hruschka, engineer at GEA Group; Antonio José Manzaneda, professor at the UJA; and Juan Agustín Espuny, director of Sustainability at OLEICFAT; discussed the technological innovations that are revolutionizing the olive oil industry, addressing issues such as the digitization of manufacturing processes, the optimization of resource use, and strategies to convert by-products into value-added elements.
In the first of these, entitled 'Digital transformation in the olive mill (Almazara 4.0)', the speakers agreed on the need to attract more young people to the sector. They stressed the importance of taking advantage of the digital tools currently available and improving training and education in the sector so that, by 2030, we reach the technological and sustainable forefront in all aspects.
Finally, the round table 'Valorization of the by-products of the olive oil extraction process', in which experts have pointed out that "it is essential that we all listen to market signals and respond to current economic and regulatory conditions".
Under the slogan 'Taste it, enjoy, It's olive oil', the OOWC has for its organization with the collaboration of 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 'Gusto del Sur' brand, Filiera Oleicola Olearia Italiana and 'Campo y Alma', the quality guarantee brand for food from 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 OOWC Media Partners.
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