Syria: olive-oil as key product for the economy

The production of the olive oil has become a key-factor of the economy of this country. According to the organization of the United Nation for food and agriculture ( FAO) 377.000 families in Syria are involved in the production- chain of the oil, that is to say 15% of the active population. The olive-trees are about 74 million and the production of oil supports the PIL (GDP) with a percentage shifting from 1.5% and 3.5%. 56% of the olive oil is produced in the North-Western country, in the province of Aleppo and Ialib. The other olive-trees are planted along the coast. The Syrian production is larger than the local consume: in the period 2002-2004 Syria exported about 30 thousand tons of oil per year, over all towards the European Union, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. But foreign investments in this sector are still limited: the production is not industrial, yet and the quality standard is not satisfying for the international market.