By Mo’ayed al-Sheikh
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Fadi al-Najem , 50, believes that this year he will not be able to store olive oil for his home, despite being accustomed to buying it for decades.
Al-Najem, an IDP from Ghab Plain, west of Hama Governorate, central west Syria, residing in Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria, attributes this to the significant increase in the prices of the commodity this year. The price for a single container of olive oil (16 kilograms) has exceeded $80, which is a record price in a region known for being the country’s most productive.
Olive oil prices in northwest Syria this year have been the highest for past decade, reaching record prices, over 100$, two months ago.
Residents in the region expected that prices to drop down during the harvest season, but the opposite happened, as the price of the container is now double what it was during the same season last year, due to its export to Turkey and smuggling it to neighboring areas.
“I know many low-income families used to buy olive oil in previous years just to be able to have olive oil and thyme for meals, but it seems that even this food is no longer affordable for these families, and they will have to use hydrogenated oil,” al-Najem told North Press.
Hassan al-Zawawi, owner of an olive oil press in Idlib, attributed the price increase to exporting the commodity to Turkey and smuggling it into areas controlled by the Syrian government to make high profits.
He explained that olive crops in the world’s top olive-producing countries like Spain, Italy, Tunisia, and others, have been affected by a disease, leading to a more than 70 percent reduction in the season, which means a significant decrease in olive oil production in those countries that used to export it worldwide.
Al-Zawawi further told North Press that Turkey capitalized on the global olive oil production decrease and began buying olive oil at high prices from traders in Idlib and Afrin, who are often affiliated with The Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), or close to them.
Large-scale olive oil export operations began, and demand for it increased in the region, causing its prices to skyrocket. The price per container increased from $40 to over $100 a few months ago, and it decreased to around $85 at the start of the season, which is still exceptionally high.
Al-Zawawi emphasizes that no party in the region is able to stop olive oil exports to Turkey, which sells it as its own production to various parts of the world, without mentioning Idlib and Afrin.
He added that Turkey’s actions will indeed have bad implications for the region in the future, in which that region was previously famous worldwide for its high-quality oils, as this fame will be attributed to Turkey.
Rami al-Halabi who works in a Turkish company that produces oils said that the company imports large quantities of olive oil daily. “As Syrian workers, we are told by the drivers that this oil is from Afrin and Idlib”, he said.
“But our work requires repackaging it in special containers prepared for export, with the label (Made in Turkey) printed in both Arabic and English.