Farmers in the West Bank villages and towns including West Salfit complain about the low percentage of oil produced after pressing olives. The percentage of olive oil is up to only 10% while it is supposed to reach 25% so as the farmers could secure sufficient income from the olive season.
Complexities and losses
One of the farmers Khalil Ahmad from a village in western Salfit said that his daily salary exceeds $100 from a job in 1948 occupied Palestine. He wants to finish the olive harvest before the end of the Jewish holidays as he is off work even if the percentage of olive oil is low at this time. This claim is rejected by the Ministry of Agriculture according to engineer Ibrahim al-Hamad of the Ministry.
Ibrahim Al-Hamad the Director of the Ministry of Agriculture in West Salfit said “The Ministry of Agriculture has set different times for the governorates for olive picking according to the maturity of olives in each governorate. The early harvest of olives as in some villages of West Salfit and other areas is unsatisfactory and causes loss of olive oil produce. The Ministry has made efforts to prevent early picking of olives without success so far especially among Palestinian workers who work in 1948 occupied Palestine.”
Big losses
Farmers lose more than 70 percent of the olive oil produce says Ramez Obaid of the Ministry of Agriculture adding that this season is unique from the rest of the seasons. Even the early date for picking olives set by the Ministry between 6-10 October is only suitable for low-bearing trees and it is in the semi-coastal areas such as Qalqiliya and Tulkarem while the rest of the farmers have to delay the harvest until the harvest is fully ripe.
A simple calculation of the amount of olive oil reveals that farmers lose 40% of olive oil produce which is the percentage between the actual produce of olive oil (15%) and the expected percentage (25%) of the local Nibali olives category.
Farmers also lose 33% of the produce due to the difference in the growth ratio from 2 grams at the beginning of October to 3 grams at the end of October. This means that the total loss of farmers is more than 70% of the olive oil production.
“There are farmers who responded to the plea of the Ministry of Agriculture. Some farmers have decided to stop harvesting for another week” Obaid said.
Solutions
Farmer Mahmoud Maher of Salfit says the solution is simple: to get the Ministry to prevent oil pressing facilities from opening their doors until olives get ripe and thus farmers will not be able to harvest their olives earlier. Workers who fear for the loss of their high wages they get for working inside 1948 occupied Palestine could give a chance to other workers who do not work in 1948 occupied Palestine to do the job.
Agricultural engineer Nasser Hamid from Nablus said that the solution is to increase the awareness and education of farmers whether they work in 1948 occupied Palestine or not and to increase the control of the village and municipal councils over the harvest and organization of the season of olive harvest as what is happening in the city of Salfit which prevents early olive picking and imposes fines on those who do not abide thus organizing the whole season.
