Olive production in Gaza falls to 8% of pre-war level — The National
In the Gaza Strip in Palestine, olive production this season has fallen to no more than 3,300 tonnes, or about 8% of its pre-war level, The National reports. Before the war, the annual harvest approached 40,000 tonnes, Gaza Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Mohammed Awda said.
According to the ministry's assessment, about 40,000 of the 45,000 dunams of land where olive trees grew before the war have been damaged. The ministry also said that more than one million olive trees had been destroyed in the Strip, while access to many surviving groves remains restricted.
Land and olive press become inaccessible
Farmer Saed Abu-Baraka said that most of his family's 17-dunam plot east of Deir el-Balah is now located beyond the yellow line, in an area under Israeli military control. The family can access only land west of the city, where displaced families have also found shelter.
Before the war, Abu-Baraka and his relatives spent four days harvesting olives, preparing traditional dishes and spending evenings by the fire. This year, he came to the grove with his wife and children, but many relatives who had previously taken part in the harvest were absent.
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After the harvest, the family had to take the olives to Nuseirat because the nearest olive press in eastern Deir el-Balah had been destroyed. Abu-Baraka waited two days for the olives to be pressed.
Olives and oil become more expensive
The shortage has also affected prices. Gaza resident Ayman al-Shandagly said that he previously bought at least 30 ratls, or about 75 kilograms, of olives for preserving each year, as well as two large tins of local olive oil. This season, he was able to buy only six ratls of olives and three litres of oil.
According to him, a ratl of Suri olives costs 60 shekels, compared with 20 shekels before the war, while the price of a litre of olive oil has risen from 30 to as much as 120 shekels. Awda noted that Gaza had previously been self-sufficient in olive production and imported only limited amounts of oil, but now depends mainly on imports.
Outside the Strip, The Last Harvest campaign, run by the Palestinian olive oil brand Jenin and the Big Heart Foundation, is raising funds for farmers and drawing attention to the destruction of olive groves. The organisers say that a donation of 35 dirhams can help plant one olive tree.
