Chairman of the EU table olives and olive oil working party Vasilis Pyrgiotis said “The EU is a major player in the global olive sector, accounting for 70% of global olive oil production and 32% of the global table olives production. Our production is growing in Europe and worldwide, boosted by a positive image and a rise in consumption due to the many health benefits of the sector as well as by forward looking initiatives undertaken by our producers. Innovative measures in the CAP also help to drive the sector”.
Outlining key ways to ensure a sustainable future for the sector in the CAP, Vasilis Pyrgiotis said “It will be important to strengthen producers position in the food supply chain to ensure that they get a fairer share of the market price of the product as they often have very poor margins. This can be achieved by encouraging producers to join producer organisations like cooperatives”.
With growers facing extreme volatility on the market, it will also be important to put more focus on measures to help farmers better manage risk and on tools to manage the market. A market observatory for the sector is also vital to help producers better understand the market. Finally we need to better inform consumers of the many health and environmental benefits of this product and make sure that the sector is not used as a bargaining chip in the upcoming trade deals, Pyrgiotis concluded.
The event was hosted by MEPs Giovanni La Via, Manolis Kefalogiannis, Clara Eugenia Aguilera Garcia who also underlined the multiple benefits of the sector and the contribution of the CAP to help its development. This will help feed into the Commission proposal on the future of food and farming.
