Olive harvest in Hama estimated at  90,000 tons

HAMA, Nov.2, (ST)- The process of delivering the olive harvest to the presses in Hama Governorate continue for the current season, which is considered the best compared to the seasons of previous years in terms of the increase in olive production that is estimated at more than 90 thousand tons, according to the Director of Agriculture, Eng. Ashraf Bakir.

“65 olive presses are currently operating in the governorate, and a technical committee has been formed that includes stakeholders from the directorates of agriculture, water resources, environment, and internal trade, whose mission is to supervise the mechanism of pressing the olive and how to dispose of the peat water resulting from the press in a safe way,” Eng. Bakir told the correspondent of the Syrian Arab New Agency (SANA ) in Hama.

The owner of  the “Lutfi” olive press in the northern countryside of Hama, Mowaffaq Lutfi said that he receives at least 50 tons of olive fruits daily and that this season is characterized by abundant production, in addition to its quality and the high quantity of oil extracted from it.

Lutfi asserted that the keenness of the press workers to carry out the necessary maintenance of the production lines on a regular basis to ensure the continuity of their production efficiency during the various stages of the olive pressing process and the quality and purity of the extracted oil as well as adherence to the prices set for the pressing,  encourage olive producers to come to my press from various regions of the governorate, especially from the northern countryside and from Idlib countryside.

Mahmoud Al-Ahmad, one of the producers who brings his crop to the press , stated that there is an increase in the amount of oil extracted for this season by 45 percent, adding that it is a very high percentage and achieving it is related to his keenness to care for his trees in the required way.

It is worth mentioning that the number of olive trees in Hama Governorate is estimated at about 12 million trees, including 10 million trees in production, and the total area planted with olive trees is 75 thousand hectares.

B.Q.