Efforts to revive Syrian olive oil exports following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad have been held back by political turmoil, Olive Oil Times wrote.
After Assad fled to Russia on 8 December after a coalition of rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham toppled his government and captured the capital Damascus, Syria’s new governing coalition announced it would introduce free-market reforms and stimulate exports, the 14 December report said.
Acting Finance Minister Riad Abd El Raoud was quoted in the Financial Times as saying the new government would undertake “a re-examination of all current monetary and economic policies.”
One of these policies was the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade’s decision, announced in October, to give the go-ahead for 10,000 tonnes of olive oil to be exported.
The Syrian government had introduced an effective ban on olive oil exports in September 2023, when export licenses were restricted to government-approved companies, Olive Oil Times wrote.
At the time of the report, it was not clear how the next government would change this arrangement or if it would lift the export ban completely.
However, its leaders had pledged to enact free-market reforms and crack down on corruption across the state apparatus, the report said.
The decision came after the agriculture ministry said it expected a surplus of olive oil, with production expected to reach 55,000 tonnes in areas controlled by the Assad regime. Olive oil consumption in Syria is around 48,000 tonnes/year.
About 40% of the country’s olive groves are in northwestern Syria, parts occupied by Turkey or governed by non-state actors for nearly a decade, Olive Oil Times wrote.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Syrian olive farmers expect to harvest 11% more olives in 2024/25 compared to the previous year. The ministry also estimated that table olive production would total 86,000 tonnes.
However, some farmers in the country’s north were quoted as telling local media they were expecting a lower harvest than previously forecast due to a lack of rainfall and increased pest infestations.
