Olive a golden opportunity for GAP region
Posted by meb at May 31st, 2008
A former leader of the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) has stated that the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) region has great potential for olive production and that Turkey should use this potential wisely for the development of this region.
Shimon Lavee, a former president of the IOOC, an intergovernmental organization in charge of safeguarding olive and olive oil quality and ensuring that olive oil products are marketed properly, visited the International Wine, Olive, Olive Oil and Technology Fair in İzmir on Thursday. He told the Anatolia news agency that Turkey’s GAP region presents a golden opportunity for development through olive production.
GAP is a regional development project that covers nine southeastern provinces — Adıyaman, Batman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa and Şırnak. “Unplanted fields in these provinces are quite suitable for olive production. I believe Turkey has great potential in this domain. I recommend that businessmen invest in Turkey’s olive production,” said Lavee.
He noted that small-scale Turkish enterprises are unlikely to be successful in competing with strong rivals in the olive sector. “Turkey may derive greater benefits in this sector if small-scale enterprises merge,” he remarked.
Lavee also said officials in former Turkish governments had met with certain foreign countries to cooperate on the development of the country’s olive sector. “I don’t know whether Turkey has made similar contacts at present. But, there is great potential for olive production in this country. You should use this potential wisely,” he added.
Mohammed Ouhmad Sbitri, the IOOC’s executive director, on the other hand, told Anatolia that olive consumption is rapidly increasing across the world. “Olive oil consumption holds a 4 percent share of all oil consumption around the world. In the past, olive oil was 10 times more expensive than sunflower oil. Today, it is only three times more expensive. This reduction in price has increased olive oil consumption. Another factor that has contributed to this increase is people becoming more health conscious. There is a great market for olive and olive products in the world,” he noted.
source: Today’s Zaman
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