Increasing Demand for Exports Elevate Olive Oil Prices in Syria’s Idlib to Record Levels
(AWP) - Umm Ahmed, a displaced person from the town of al-Teh currently living in the Maaret Masrin refugee camp in Idlib, northern Syria, wonders how she can afford a tin of olive oil for the staggering price of 80 US dollars and still be able to provide for her family and fix their tent ahead of the approaching winter.
Local supplies have decreased due to exporting large quantities of olive oil which has doubled its price from 40 to 80 US dollars per bottle, depriving many Idlib families from buying it.
Olive oil is an essential staple in the diet of many families in Syria and is usually eaten as a dip with bread after mixing it with thyme and other herbs and served with tea.
According to Hassan Haj Moussa, owner of an olive field in the town of Sarjah, south of the governorate, a good harvest season is on the horizon despite a wave of cold weather that damaged olive trees a few months ago.
He believes that "the high cost of oil is due to legal and illegal exports to Spain and elsewhere, causing prices to rise insanely. A tin of oil [16 litres], which used to cost between 30 and 50 [US] dollars, is sold today for between 75 and 85 dollars."
He described what happened as "a crime" against the people, adding that many families "rely on olive oil for food and as a staple at home. Oil is essential to have in the home, like bread."
The governorate of Idlib is Syria’s highest olive producer with nearly 100,000 hectares and more than 11 million trees producing around 200 kilograms of oil.
Youssef Ghandoura, an olive and oil merchant in the town of Kurin, southern Idlib, expects oil prices to decrease during the new season, saying that "we are heading towards a good season, thank God, in which prices may decline because there will be self-sufficiency and surplus of goods."
Tamam al-Hamoud, General Director of Agriculture in Idlib, agrees with Ghandoura that the current season will retain old oil prices "especially since we are implementing the agricultural schedule during the local production period, and exporting is prohibited until self-sufficiency is achieved for our fellow citizens."
He added, "The expected production of olive fruits for this year is approximately 115,000 tonnes, 100,000 tonnes allocated for pressing and 15,000 tonnes for local consumption as a table variety, and the expected production of oil is approximately 22,000 tonnes, 13,000 tonnes for local consumption and 9,000 tonnes for export."