With the start of 2024 the Spanish Jaime Lillo (in the picture), an agronomist with extensive experience in the olive oil sector, has become the executive director of International Olive Council (IOC) – the international intergovernmental organization dedicated to olive oil and table olives – replacing the Tunisian Abdellatif Ghedira. Here are some excerpts from the interview given to the Spanish newspaper Oleum Xauen.
With what objectives do you approach the position of executive director of the COI?
“On the one hand, continue to promote the production, quality and consumption of olive oil and table olives. To achieve this objective it is necessary to continue the harmonization of international standards, promote good practices in production and innovation, particularly in aspects of sustainability and circular economy, reward quality and respond to the challenge of climate change. On the other hand, bring the COI closer to large non-traditional consuming and producing countries such as the United States, Brazil, Japan and China, among others. I would also like the sector to feel the COI closer."
How do you evaluate the situation in the olive and oil sector?
“It's an impressive industry. I don't think there is another agricultural sector with such an extraordinary evolution as that of the olive and oil sector in recent years. There is a real revolution in olive tree cultivation. The increase in the quality of oils, especially extra virgin oils, was unthinkable 20 years ago. Marketing, especially in export markets. I see a growing sector, in an intense process of modernisation, innovation and internationalisation”.
What future do you see for the olive sector?
“I am optimistic, more and more consumers are discovering olive oils and appreciating their quality, not only in Spain, but in the world. There are more and more people who want to enjoy life in a healthy and sustainable way."
What are the main challenges?
“The main challenge is climate change. Both in the field of crop adaptation, where we are already observing the consequences. Two short consecutive campaigns are not remembered. We must work at all levels, from the study of genetic varieties with the greatest capacity to adapt to high temperatures and water scarcity, as well as in the development of a sustainable hydraulic and irrigation policy, as well as in cultivation and management practices of the vegetation cover. But also in the field of mitigation, where the olive grove contributes by sequestering Co2 from the atmosphere. Many do not know that behind the oils, or the olives, there are more than 11 million hectares of olive groves that function like an authentic domesticated Mediterranean forest.
The other great challenge is the creation of value. In my opinion, olive oils, and especially extra virgin olive oils, should aspire to have an adequate and more stable value. It is an extraordinary product that should not function as a commodity, especially in international markets.”
What is your opinion on olive oil prices at historic highs and their volatility?
“Price volatility is not desirable, we should aim for some stability. The historical highs seem very interesting to me, there are markets that have maintained the pace of consumption at those prices. Even the low prices we saw not long ago were not normal.”
And the drop in consumption in this campaign?
“The decline in consumption was not the same in different countries and categories. I am convinced that as soon as there is more oil we will resume the path of growth in consumption and marketing in global terms".
How to enhance the promotion of olive oil, the conquest of new consumers and new markets?
“It's the key to everything. For years now we have observed a shift in consumption towards non-traditional countries, far from the Mediterranean basin. Consumption growth is in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Australia and China, which is starting to awaken interest and many more are arriving. Promotion is the driving force. As I said before, there are more and more people who want to live better, with a healthier diet, attentive to sustainability and climate change, without giving up the pleasure of food. We have the wind in our favor."
Is the climate emergency the main risk for the olive grove?
"I think so. But more than worrying, it's about taking care of it. The olive tree is one of the most resistant plants, we must understand this, investigate the olive tree and its interaction with climate change. I proposed to the members that in the next few years there be a line of work on the climate emergency. We are already working. I am confident that we will find solutions, but the risk is real."
Can this crop be profitable and sustainable at the same time?
“It is becoming more and more of a need. From my point of view, the olive grove is in a privileged situation when it comes to sustainability, biodiversity or climate change. If we compare it with other oils or fats, there is a lot to tell and enhance. It is something that I have also proposed to the IOC members to work on in the coming years. Just as olive oil has been identified with health, we must identify it with sustainability."
What future awaits the traditional olive grove compared to other types of systems?
“It's difficult to generalise. The size of the farm, the slope, the availability of water are many factors, but the trends are one of differentiation or reconversion. In any case, there is also life for the traditional olive grove."
Do you think it is necessary to intensify control and inspection work to avoid fraud?
“I find self-control initiatives within a sector that is primarily interested in protecting the image of the product very interesting. There is growing interest in large consumer countries to improve control and the fight against fraud. In markets where there are no controls, the risk of fraud is obviously greater. The EU is at the forefront in terms of control and inspection of olive oils. In my opinion, the noise caused by suspicion of fraud is “the Achilles' heel”. We must not forget that this is a more expensive product than other oils and that consumer trust is essential and fragile. Unfortunately, fraud attracts a lot of interest from the media, in my opinion it is exaggerated, creating a shadow of doubt that is sometimes disproportionate, which is why we must be very demanding in respecting the rules. We have seen how in some markets consumption has slowed down for years due to mistrust towards imported oils".
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