Great Success from OASIS
The Innovative and Sustainable Cluster for Olive Value Chain (OASIS) Project, which has been awarded funding under the Single Market Programme (SMP COSME) by the European Innovation Council and SME Executive Agency (EIASME), is coordinated by the consortium under the coordination of Izmir Commodity Exchange and with the partnership of Izmir Agricultural Technology Centre (ITTM), Aegean Exporters' Associations from Türkiye; Centro Tecnológico Nacional de la Conserva - CTNC (National Technology Centre for Food and Canning) and Camara De Comercio e Industria Italiana Para Espana - CCIS (Italian Chamber of Commerce in Spain) from Spain, CIHAEM Bari (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari) and Unioncamere Puglia (Union of Chambers of Puglia Region) from Italy.
Işınsu Kestelli, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Izmir Commodity Exchange, stated that they have continued to stand by every step and every work that will develop the producers and the sector in the field of agriculture for 132 years, said: ‘The olive and olive oil sector is of great importance for our country's economy and foreign trade. However, we know that it has a much greater potential compared to its current contribution and that we can obtain much more added value from this sector. In addition to increasing the number of olive trees, yield and quality, the most vital issues are to increase the competitiveness of the sector and its position in the world market. With this project, we set out with the aim of increasing added value in production by strengthening our SMEs in the sector, establishing a strong supply chain network and building a more competitive market place.
President Kestelli underlined that today, not only products but also supply chains and value chains compete, and said: ‘Countries that achieve success in the governance of these chains become stronger in the market. For this reason, effective policy recommendations must be developed and implemented for the olive and olive oil sector in the medium and long term.’
Project Objectives
In our country, the national coordinator of the COSME – Single Market Programme is Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB) Directorate of EU and Foreign Relations. The overall objective of the OASIS project is to create a more sustainable and competitive European agri-food sector, with a particular focus on strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises.
The project aims to build resilience to climate change and external factors by training olive sector SMEs in sustainable practices, promoting cooperation along the supply chain and supporting resource-efficient technologies.
By focusing on waste reduction and optimisation of resource use throughout the production process, the project ultimately aims to strengthen the food supply chain, reduce production costs and create a competitive marketplace for both businesses and consumers.
The target group of the project consists of 50 SMEs from each country, as a total of 150 SMEs operating in the field of olive growing.
Project activities to be carried out
The activities to be carried out for the target group within the scope of the project include researching 10 good practice examples that have already been implemented and completed and presenting them to SMEs as an exemplary road map, organising 15 different trainings on various themes for 150 SMEs, determining the measures to be taken to prevent food waste and increase efficient resource use, ensuring the adaptation of the use of new technologies and creating a more competitive and resilient market environment that will reduce production shipping costs by developing new strategies in this field.
This project is signficant for the project countries and the region with the perspective of increasing the capacities of SMEs and establishing networks to develop international cooperation. The project, which started on 16 May 2024, will last for 36 months and has a total budget of 997,764 euros, has also been awarded a 90 percent grant.
28.05.2024
