International Olive Council launches campaign in India

EH Staff - New Delhi

The International Olive Council (IOC) has launched a promotion campaign in India with an interactive media workshop that was held on September 20, 2007 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi.

The workshop aimed to provide in-depth information on olive oil and table olives as well as provide about their health and nutritional aspects. Franco Oliva, deputy director and head (promotions) at IOC, announced that it plans to initiate a series of activities in India in the next three to five years to increase awareness about the culinary attributes and the health properties of table olives and olive oil.

Internationally olive oil has a trade value of more than US$ 2,698,928. IOC is eyeing the enormous Indian market of 12 to 12.5 million tons of edible oils. According to Oliva, "The usage of olive oil in India is at a very small level. But since the country is growing economically and people are becoming more health-conscious, the market gives us a huge opportunity."

World-renowned olive expert, Santiago Botas, who conducted a session, explained how the elaborate process is followed in the Mediterranean countries while producing olive oils and the different kinds of olive oils in the world. He said that olive oil is considered as liquid gold in the Mediterranean and has a 6000-year old tradition.

The IOC has chosen The SCS Group, an agribusiness consulting firm based in New Delhi, to manage the promotion campaign in India. Spain-based IOC is an inter-governmental organisation created in 1959 under the auspices of United Nations in charge of promoting and trading olive oil and table olives.

(Photos of the event in Weekend section).