Farmers in Quneitra governorate have begun the olive harvest process, amid promising production estimates exceeding 12,900 tons of olives and approximately 2,068 tons of olive oil, marking a significant increase compared to last year's production, which was affected by water shortages and drought waves.
Khitam Al-Sami'a, head of the specialized offices department at the Quneitra Directorate of Agriculture, told SANA on Wednesday that the cultivated area of olive trees in the governorate amounts to 6,815 hectares, comprising about 1.074 million trees.
Technical and advisory measures to ensure season success
Al-Sami'a noted that the Directorate of Agriculture has taken a series of preparatory, technical, and advisory measures to ensure the success of the season. These include forming committees to monitor the operation of olive oil mills and ensure compliance with health, environmental, and price regulations, in coordination with the Directorate of Trade and Consumer Protection.
Al-Sami'a pointed out that the Directorate, in coordination with relevant authorities, provides necessary facilitations for farmers to harvest their crops, particularly in light of repeated Israeli attacks, including the bulldozing of agricultural land and trees, as recently occurred in the Al-Hanut area in the southern countryside.
She clarified that the Directorate of Agriculture and the Farmers' Union are working in cooperation with international organizations and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to facilitate farmers' safe access to their fields, especially those near the ceasefire line, to ensure the crop is not lost.
Supervisory tours of olive oil mills
For his part, Manar Al-Din Muhammad, head of the Food Safety Department at the Quneitra Directorate of Trade and Consumer Protection, stated in a similar statement that the Directorate is conducting supervisory and inspection tours of the three olive oil mills in the governorate. Samples of pomace and water used in the pressing process are taken for laboratory analysis to ensure compliance with required technical specifications, in addition to adhering to the prices set by the ministry.
Maintenance of machinery and preparation of production lines
The manager of one of the mills, Omar Musa Al-Mousa, highlighted the mill's readiness to receive olives from farmers following the maintenance of machinery, preparation of production lines, and oil cake tanks to prevent their water from leaking into adjacent agricultural lands.
Al-Mousa pointed out that one of the main difficulties they face is securing sufficient quantities of industrial diesel to operate generators, amid continuous power outages, to avoid work stoppages and congestion during peak periods.
Challenges facing farmers
For his part, farmer Ahmed Al-Sami'a stated that the current season is expected to be better than previous ones, due to the entry of several trees into the production phase, despite difficulties such as rising prices of fuels, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor costs, in addition to Israeli incursions, bulldozing operations, and preventing farmers from accessing orchards near the ceasefire line.
He explained that these conditions hinder tree monitoring, combating fungal diseases, and spraying pesticides, as well as the lowering of water levels in wells.
The olive tree is one of the most important trees in Syrian lands. According to last year's statistics, their number exceeded 101 million trees, of which approximately 90 million are productive. It ranks third among Syrian crops and contributes about 3 percent to the country's national income and 9.5 percent to its agricultural income.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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