"There are projects in all countries, currently, to improve their production capacity", but, with "the growth rate it has had" and the existing forecasts, Portugal "is clearly in the premier league" of olive oil producing countries, said the executive director of the International Olive Council (IOC), Jaime Lillo.

Jaime Lillo told Lusa that he was confident that Portugal would soon be "on the podium of the three production champions".

An IOC delegation has been visiting Portugal to gain first-hand knowledge of the reality of olive oil mills and olive oil production in the country, particularly in the Alentejo region.

Hosted by OLIVUM - the Portuguese Association of Olive Growers and Olive Oil Mills, the programme kicked off with a meeting in Beja, which was also attended by the Portuguese Farmers' Confederation (CAP), CONFAGRI - the National Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives and Agricultural Credit of Portugal and Casa do Azeite.

Visits to olive groves, olive oil mills, and the Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company (EDIA), as well as presentations of research and educational projects, are the highlights of this two-day technical visit.

Jaime Lillo, who is completing his first year as executive director of the IOC, explained to Lusa that he had “a particular interest in visiting Portugal”, which produces “excellent quality” olive oils, and, in particular, the Alentejo. This is because, in world terms, the Alentejo “is one of the regions, if not the most innovative, most competitive region and where a real revolution has taken place in the cultivation” of olive groves, he stressed.

“What is happening in the Alentejo is an international reference for modern olive growing, competitive, precision olive growing and, in addition, sustainable and high-quality olive growing”, he praised.