Sweida-Hama-Sana
The olive presses in the Hama and Sweida mills continue throughout the harvest season and the olive age, which began in mid-October last year in light of high production expectations.
In Hama press, the owner of the press, Bassam Kilani, said that there is a variation in the quality of production, according to the service of olive trees and areas of cultivation, pointing out that the extraction of oil ranges between 20 and 25 percent and sometimes up to 35 percent. He pointed out the lack of fuel allocations for the press and low wages of the era compared to the coast.
The farmer Saleh Zarouf said that there is a rise in the wages of olive age and transport fees to the contemporary, while selling oil prices ranging between 25 and 30 thousand pounds per plate in the Masyaf and its countryside, which is one of the most important areas of olive production and oil at the governorate level.
For her part, Sawsan al-Qaisi, head of the olive branch in Hama, said there are 32 presses operating in the governorate that are being followed up daily. There is an increase in quantity and quality in production and the percentage of oil extraction reached 40 to 45 percent in Masyaf area, while it did not exceed 20 percent last year. .
Al-Qaisi added that a central committee was formed at the governorate level to monitor and follow up the mechanism of olive presses in the governorate and to ensure that the owners of the presses adhere to the technical conditions for the production of olive oil and the deportation of peat according to the established criteria and standards.
The olive presses in As-Suwayda governorate are witnessing increasing demand with the expansion of olive harvesting operations which started after mid-October and last for two months.
The farmer Asad Halabi from the farm that the high price of oil is due to increase the cost of production requirements of picking, transport, age and packaging bottles, demanding the establishment of companies to market oil and reduce wages of the era. Each sale varies by farmers and ranges between 30 and 35 thousand pounds while the Director of Agriculture confirms that the cost of producing a single plate up to 28 thousand pounds.
Suhad Hassan and Abdullah Sheikh-Omar long