Damascus, SANA- Syria has more than 101 million olive trees, of which approximately 90 million are fruitful.
Olive trees are the third most cultivated crop in Syria and contribute approximately 3% of the country’s national income and 9.5% of agricultural income, as well as providing jobs for approximately 300,000 Syrian families.
The area planted with olive trees in Syria is estimated at 674,000 hectares, which constitutes 12 percent of the total cultivated area.
“Olive oil production during the 2024 season amounted to 122,000 tons, and local consumption reached 100,000 tons, which means there is a surplus for export of approximately 22,000 tons,” Abeer Jawhar, director of the Olive Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, told SANA.
She explained that the final olive production for the aforementioned season amounted to approximately 761,764 tons, of which 20 percent was used for consumption and 80 percent for oil extraction.
There are 35 olive oil filtration and packaging companies in Syria that produce containers of various sizes and types, in compliance with Syrian and international standards. These companies export to numerous Arab and foreign countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, permanent and essential markets for this purpose.
Regarding the importance of Syria’s return to the International Olive Council, Jawhar considered that working with international organizations interested in the olive oil sector is one of the most important factors in developing this sector and transforming it into an economic sector that attracts investment.
It is worth noting that Syria joined the International Olive Council in 1998 in accordance with the United Nations International Olive Oil Agreement and had greatly benefited from the support it provided to member states.
MHD Ibrahim
