Olive growers ride the wave of dissent, threatening to burn imported olive oil

Various representatives’ bodies and institutions of the olive sector in Lebanon teamed up with dissenting apple and wheat farmers to call for government protection and support. The announcement came after an emergency meeting last week led by the head of the Agriculture Branch in the National Trade Union of Cooperative Associations, George Ainati that was convened in order to discuss the threat to the domestic olive cultivation by imported olive oil and to mobilize farmers to prevent the worse. A statement issued at the end of the meeting stated: “During the last harvest, millions of olive oil containers have been imported which left the bulk of local olive production in stocks, despite the agriculture ministry’s decision to halt the import for a few months.” The statement went on to warn that any quantities of olive oil entering the country, regardless of their source, are dubbed illegal, and hence, are subject to be burned or destroyed by farmers along with the trucks carrying them.” In conclusion, the statement also pointed out that the Lebanese Army consumes inedible imported oil only to satisfy the greed of a few traders and shippers. Meanwhile, the Cooperative Association for Animal Development and Husbandry in the town of Andkit has received some 6 battery-run olive harvesters from the USAID, in the presence of the agency’s representative in Lebanon, Ranim Abdel Kader. To this effect, the head of the beneficiary cooperative, Toni Elias, announced that these machines will be placed at the disposal of the town’s farmers in order to reduce the cost of harvest and improve the quality of olive oil. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, The Daily Star, October 4,5, 12, 2016)