Some 950.000 tons of olives production this Season

DAMASCUS, (ST)- The Director of the Olives Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Dr. Muhannad Malndi,  revealed about a plan that will be presented in the future for farmers , production  or production process requirements.

“Since the beginning of the year to present, some 20 thousand tons of olive oil were exported through the border crossings, pointing out that the estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform of the country’s production of olive fruit is about 950 thousand tons during the current agricultural season, of which 160 thousand tons of olive oil and 125 thousand tons of table olive,” Dr. Malndi stated..

“The number of olive trees in Syria, according to the latest statistics, amounted to 107 million trees, including 82 million fruit trees planted on an estimated area of 700 thousand hectares, pointing out that the price of one kilo each gram of olive oil ranges nearly between 400 and 450 pounds,” he added.

Dr. Malndi indicated to the need to regulate trade in oil and olives and dealing all the difficulties that face this sector and the establishment of competent associations in planting olive and the establishment of specialized workshops in pruning and grafting according to the technical and scientific bases, activating programs of biological control of olive fruit fly, paying attention to the sector of table olives manufacturing especially in the rural areas and the use of waste of pruning trees in the production of fodder for livestock.

It is noteworthy that Syria occupies the fourth place globally and the first Arab production, which is more than one million tons of fruits produces, 175 thousand tons of olive oil of the total area estimated at 696 thousand hectares and the average per capita consumption of olive oil in Syria varies annually between 5 and 6 kilos. Therefore there is a surplus of oil ranges annually between 40 and 50 tons. The Syrian extra virgin olive oil has international standards as it is free from chemical solvents and it is not mixed with other oils.

Hence, the importance of the Syrian olive comes from the fact that it contains a high percentage of oleic acid enjoys effectively relatively high against oxidation compared to other vegetable oils where studies indicated that the effect of poly-phenols in virgin olive oil on cancer cells is great and proved efficiency restraining the growth of breast cancer cells.

Sh. Kh.