During the first day of the WOOE, the international olive oil fair, the awards of the fair and the Delicatessen prizes were given. Among these awards, we can find “International Olive Growing: Worldwide Analysis and Summary.” It was given the award for its great informative work of the sector at an international level, along with its initiative, design and new edition of the manual. This award was presented by Abdelatif Ghedira and collected by Manuel Fernández, the Vice President of the Jaén Provincial Council and by Luis Jesús García-Lomas, the manager of La Caja Rural de Jaén Foundation.
Furthermore, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, D. Luís Planas, became interested in the manual, both for the information it provides and for the international feedback it is generating, being the only summary of macro magnitudes in the olive sector that exists worldwide. Mr. Luís Planas welcomed copies of the book in Spanish, English, French and Arabic, along with Luis Jesús García-Lomas and Sergio Caño, with Juan Vilar Consultores Estratégicos.
Prize delivery speech
The olive sector is becoming increasingly professionalized, and this is, in part, thanks to the unquestionable involvement of Public Institutions and non-profit entities, thanks to their commitment to innovation, research and knowledge of the sector. Proof of this is the handbook of great informative value in which a magnificent descriptive study of olive grove cultivation is made. It collects the most complete summary of data, from surface area of planted olive groves, main varieties, yields, crop types, as well as worldwide economic and employment data. This work is titled “International Olive Growing: Worldwide Analysis and Summary.” It has been translated into six languages (Spanish, English, Italian, French, Arabic and Portuguese) and presented on five continents. It surely would not have been possible without the initiative, design and new edition by La Caja Rural de Jaén Foundation and the collaboration of the Jaén Provincial Council. Both Institutions have a great commitment for the spreading of international knowledge of the olive sector.
The Jaén Provincial Council, in its work to promote the economic activity of the province, greatly stresses its support of the agri-food sector, especially in regards to olive oil, which is Jaén’s strategic productive sector. For more than 20 years it has been aimed at promoting olive oil and olive growing culture, with this being reflected in a multitude of initiatives carried out on a national and international scale.
In the same way, La Caja Rural de Jaén Foundation, promotes an immensity of actions to support the olive sector in Jaén, and to develop research in the olive growing field, for the economic and environmental benefit of the sector and society. It actively participates in training and outreach through a large number of publications.