Olive trees growers fear the impact of drought and dumping

Al Nahar newspaper published a report about this year’s olives season in Akkar where olive orchard owners and farmers expressed their fears about the negative implication of drought, low rainfall and climate change on their production.  The annual olives harvest is a major source of livelihood for local growers and farmers as well as for the 200 olive presses in the region which produces annually 40,000 tons of the total 70,000 tones produced in North Lebanon.
Farmer Khalil Abdallah expressed concern vis-à-vis the dumping of foreign olives and olive oil products into the local markets.  Imports in large quantities from Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Spain are likely to undermine internal marketing of domestic products.  One of the largest olive farmers in the region of Akkar, Michel Nasr, noted that delayed rainfalls are likely to affect this year production and cause a disaster to farmers leading to a reduction in olive oil production and increase in sales price.  To be noted that last year’s yields were also below expectation.

Source: Al-Nahar 11 September 2014