Innovation Efforts in the Olive and Olive Oil Sector

In the olive and olive oil sector, the "Innovation and Sustainable Clustering in the Olive Value Chain (OASIS) Project," which aims to increase productivity through innovative approaches in table olive and olive oil pressing unit operations, supported by the European Union and involving stakeholders from Turkey, Spain and Italy, targets the participation of 50 olive and olive oil producer companies from Turkey.
 
Emre Uygun, Chairman of the Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters Association, providing information about the objectives of the OASIS Project, underlined that the main goal is to train SMEs operating in the olive and olive oil production sector in the Aegean Basin on sustainable practices, support technologies that will increase raw material efficiency, and develop strategies that will create resilience against climate change and external factors.

A competitive marketplace will be created
Uygun, noting that Turkey became the world's first producer of table olives in the 2024/25 season with a harvest of 750,000 tonnes, while rising to second place globally in olive oil with a harvest of 475,000 tonnes behind Italy, stated: "With the OASIS Project, we aim to strengthen the food supply chain by focusing on reducing food waste and optimizing resource use throughout the production process in table olive and olive oil sector enterprises with pressing facilities, reducing production costs and creating a competitive marketplace for both enterprises and consumers. We invite our olive and olive oil enterprises that have table olive processing and olive oil pressing units to participate in this project."
 
Uygun, noting that in the "Innovation and Sustainable Clustering in the Olive Value Chain (OASIS) Project" sustainability assessments will be conducted for companies and existing resource efficiency levels will be analyzed, continued as follows: "Free training and advisory services will be provided to support companies in making their production processes more efficient based on current situation analyses. Training topics will include circular production, resource efficiency, digital transformation, green transition, smart agriculture technologies. SMEs with good practice examples will be identified and promoted and given visibility at EU level. Matching activities will be carried out between SMEs and institutions from Italy, Spain and Turkey. The project's target group consists of a total of 150 SMEs, comprising 50 SMEs from each country, operating in the table olive and olive oil production sector. Activities to be carried out within the project scope targeting the target group include investigating 10 good practice examples previously implemented and completed and presenting them to SMEs as example roadmaps, organizing 25 different trainings on various themes for 150 SMEs, identifying measures to be taken to prevent food waste and increase efficient resource use, enabling adaptation of new technology use and developing new strategies in this field to create a more competitive and resilient market environment that will reduce production shipping costs."

The "Innovation and Sustainable Clustering in the Olive Value Chain (OASIS) Project," which received support under the Single Market Programme (SMP COSME) by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), is being implemented in Turkey under the coordination of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce with the Izmir Agricultural Technology Center (İTTM), in Spain by Centro Tecnológico Nacional de la Conserva – CTNC (National Food and Canning Technology Center) and Camara De Comercio e Industria Italiana Para Espana – CCIS (Spain Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), and in Italy by CIHAEM Bari (Mediterranean Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Bari) and Unioncamere Puglia (Puglia Region Chambers Association) through consortium collaboration.