Food: Syria-The spinner develops olive oil quality

The International Council of the olive oil, set in Spain, gave the laboratory for the Scientific Agricultural Research of olive oil in Idleb, in Syria, a recognition of the International certification, through which the lab can release a certificate of origin, stating the quality of the oil and its conformity to the international standards. The ICE office in Damask reminds that this certificate, internationally recognized, allows buyers to sell the product in the international market. The average target of increase in the production of olive oil in Syria in the period 1997-2006 was 8,9%, while the production passed from the 78.000 tons of 1997 to 252.000 in 2006. The number of olive-mills increased at the same time from 780 in 1997 to 1100 units in 2006; the equipment of olive-mills is composed as follows: 15% old presses, 66% water presses and 19% with the so-called continuous system. These work, respectively, for 2%, 42% and 56% of the whole national production. The land where olive trees were grown in 2006 was recorded as 581.700 hectares with about 87 million trees, 61,7 million of them already giving fruits. The current yearly production of olives count about 850.000 tons, of which about 85% is used for the production of oil.