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The 114th session of the International Olive Council and 57th session of the Advisory Committee held in Georgia
With the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, under the auspices of UNESCO and the International Olive Council, the 114th session of the International Olive Council and the 57th session of the Advisory Committee were held in Georgia.
In the course of the sessions, the participants discussed challenges and opportunities of the olive sector.
In his speech, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Levan Davitashvili noted, that encouraging cultivation of olive plantations in Georgia is a part of the agricultural development strategy. He also underlined, that olive crop culture has a great potential, which is resulted from Georgia's favorable climatic conditions.
"Through state support and co-financing programs, olive plantations have already been planted on up to 1000 hectares of area in Georgia. We plan to plant olive groves on several tens of thousands of hectares in the near future, which will enable us to boost our export opportunities. I believe, that active cooperation between the state and the private sector will facilitate to make the respective field more competitive in the country "Mr. Levan Davitashvili said.
Giorgi Svanidze, President of the International Olive Council, Founder and President of the Olive Association in Georgia, noted that Georgia is ready to further develop olive oil production.
"We appreciate, that Georgia is a family member of the IOC. The International Oil Council is an organization that controls 90% of income derived from world olive production and 74% from trade of olive products. Therefore, being a member of this organization means to take a step forward for Georgia. Through joint efforts with the World Olive Council and the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, we have developed a strategy embracing objectives and measures on how to develop an olive sector in Georgia and enter into the global market ”said Giorgi Svanidze.
“Georgia has been a family member of the IOC since 2019, in 2020 Georgia became the Chair country of the council. The International Olive Council plays an important role in the development of the olive culture. The IOC organizes International forums and holds discussions to resolve any issues related to the olive sector.
Hosting the International Forum is of utmost importance for Georgia, as it is the most important global event in the olive sector.