NOUAKCHOTT, By InternationalOliveoil Org– The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss collaborating with the international collection in Marrakech and begin a preliminary study to help choose the varieties of olive tree that would be well adapted to the pedoclimatic conditions of Mauritania.
An IOC delegation, headed by the Executive Director Abdellatif Ghedira, went on mission to Mauritania in February 2021. During this mission, the Head of the Technology and Environment Unit, Abdelkrim Adi held a meeting with the central directors of the Minister of Rural Development and the officials in charge of the country’s agricultural sector.
They discussed the technical means to help boost the local production of extra virgin olive oil and guarantee consumption in line with the norms and standards of the IOC through installing physico-chemical and sensory quality control laboratories.
Discussions focused on the conclusions of the IOC’s TRUE HEALTHY OLIVE CULTIVARS project, on the work carried out by the Executive Secretariat to identify, conserve and utilise the genetic resources of the olive tree (RESGEN), as well as the technical collaboration made possible between the germplasm banks on the IOC’s network. The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss collaborating with the international collection in Marrakech and begin a preliminary study to help choose the varieties of olive tree that would be well adapted to the pedoclimatic conditions of Mauritania.
The Head of the Technical Unit invited the Mauritanian officials to take part in the next international webinar on climate change and the olive tree that will be hosted by the Executive Secretariat.
The Executive Director selected three varieties of olive tree from the international collection of Marrakech to give to the Mauritanian Minister during the signing of the plan of action for cooperation. In the picture: Abdellatif Ghedira and Abdelkrim Adi, alongside Eduardo Muela Rodriguez, the Head of the IOC’s Legal Department.
