A very weak harvest, almost no production, and prices more than doubled compared with last year – this is the state of the olive season in Daraa, southern Syria, according to farmers, mill owners and agricultural engineers.
Although the olive tree has long been known in southern Syria for its resilience, abundance and ability to withstand drought, this year has upended that reputation entirely. Daraa has witnessed one of its worst olive seasons in decades, whether in production volume, fruit quality or even oil-extraction rates. The situation appears bleak across much of the governorate; some farmers did not harvest a single olive this season, despite being accustomed to gathering dozens of tins of oil every year.
A mill owner in western rural Daraa, Mohammad al-Hariri, tells +963 that his mill now operates only two hours in the evening. The day’s olives are collected, then pressing takes place from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., after which they wait until the next day to restart. In his words, this alone shows that “there is no real season this year.” Last season, the mill operated 12 hours a day, continuously, and even then, farmers said the yield felt light. Now, he says, last season seems excellent compared to what they are experiencing today.
Hariri adds that some farmers who usually brought in 100 tonnes of olives for pressing have managed this year to bring only nine or ten tonnes at best. Even irrigated olives – normally heavier and more abundant – produced fruit with almost no oil. While rain-fed olives typically yield one tin of oil per 60 kilograms of olives, irrigated ones now require 150 to 200 kilograms for the same amount. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” he says, “not even in our fathers’ days.”
This collapse in production has directly affected families who rely on olives as a cornerstone of their yearly household food supply. Jamil al-Ammarin, from rural Daraa, shares with 963+ his devastating experience this season. He owns 33 olive trees, which normally provide his family with enough green olives, black olives and olive oil for the entire year. This year, he did not harvest a single olive or obtain even a drop of oil. He was forced to buy three tins of oil to cover his family’s needs until next season. In previous years, he pressed five or six tins from his own trees. This year, not even one litre.
Al-Ammarin describes his shock at current prices. When he went to buy oil, he was told one tin cost 1.2 million Syrian pounds – more than double last year’s price. “Last year it was about 50 dollars,” he explains, “this year it’s 105. I expected a weak season, but I never imagined my trees would have nothing at all.”
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The Agricultural Causes Behind the Collapse
Agricultural engineer Mohammad Khreibeh explains to +963 the technical reasons behind this dramatic decline. Daraa is indeed facing a very poor season, primarily due to accumulated climatic factors and farming-practice issues. Last year’s rainfall was irregular, and the delayed onset of rain caused soil dryness during the flowering period, directly affecting fruit-setting. Many blossoms fell before turning into fruit.
Khreibeh adds that the extreme heat wave in May proved disastrous. The sudden spike in temperature during flowering caused extensive blossom to drop and burn damage to the leaves. In addition, many farmers scaled back pruning and fertilisation due to rising costs, and some did not irrigate the trees despite their needs.
He points out that comparisons with other governorates show the issue is regional rather than nationwide. In Tartus and Hama, for example, production is relatively acceptable, while in Daraa it is almost non-existent. One farmer in the Nawa countryside who typically produced ten tins annually managed this season to obtain only one. Such differences illustrate the scale of the damage. Khreibeh emphasises the urgent need for support plans for farmers, warning that without assistance, many will abandon tree care, and the groves will gradually decline.
Market Collapse and No Alternatives
Olive-oil trader Nassim Al-Da’as explains to +963 how the agricultural disaster has translated into chaos in the market. The huge drop in production caused prices to rise sharply because supply is nearly non-existent while demand remains steady. Today, a tin of oil exceeds 1.2 million Syrian pounds, and in some areas reaches 1.5 million depending on quality and source. Although olive oil is a basic household staple, purchasing power has collapsed.
Al-Da’as notes that last year the local market had a relative surplus, and some traders sold a tin for around 50 dollars. Today it exceeds 100 dollars; not due to greed, he says, but to the complete lack of production. Even farmers who have small quantities are keeping them for their own households, and no one is selling significant amounts.
Exports have also halted. Southern Syria used to export modest quantities of olive oil through intermediaries, but this year export is impossible. The domestic market is not being supplied adequately, export channels are closed, and, in his words, “we are facing a historically bad season – even during the war we never reached this level of production shortfall.”
Social Impact Across Rural Communities
The crisis is not only economic but deeply social. Families in Daraa describe the olive season as a cherished annual event of collective work among relatives and neighbours. It also provided steady seasonal income for hundreds of workers in harvesting, pressing and transportation. This year, all of that has almost entirely disappeared.
Ahmad Al-Jahmani, who works seasonally in olive mills, tells +963 that they used to work from morning until past midnight, helping with loading, cleaning and pressing. Mills operated almost around the clock. Now there is hardly any work. Mills open only for two hours, workers sit at home waiting for opportunities that never come, and even those who cleaned or transported olives have lost their income because the season has effectively vanished.
Rain-Fed vs Irrigated: The Season Exposed Both
Daraa combines both rain-fed and irrigated olive farming, but the season has revealed vulnerabilities in both. According to Khreibeh, rain-fed trees suffered the most due to drought. Irrigated olives grew larger fruit but with very low oil content.
Rain-fed olives usually require around 60 kilograms to produce one tin of oil, whereas irrigated olives now require 150 to 200 kilograms for the same yield. Khreibeh warns that such a steep decline threatens agricultural diversity in the governorate, as olives form one of the pillars of the rural economy and any damage to the crop affects all related sectors.
The Need for an Agricultural Rescue Plan
Farmers across Daraa agree that the governorate urgently needs agricultural rescue efforts, including support with fertilisers, irrigation, replanting and agricultural-extension programmes that focus on disease resistance and improved farming methods. They also stress the need for local authorities and agricultural organisations to offer at least symbolic compensation to affected farmers.
Engineer Khreibeh concludes that the olive tree is remarkably resilient but cannot survive long without proper care. The crisis is not only a single bad season but a long-term threat to the entire production cycle. If drought and lack of support continue, he warns, “we could lose half the olive trees in the south within a few years.”
Trader Al-Da’as adds that olive oil has become a luxury rather than a staple – something unimaginable until recently. Without urgent intervention to stabilise prices and support production, southern Syria may soon have to import oil from other regions at prohibitively high prices.
Al-Ammarin sums up the feelings of thousands of Daraa’s farmers: “We used to live off the blessings of our trees, and now we’re buying our yearly food by credit. The olive season has become a memory, and we are just praying next year will be better.”
A Direct Threat to Food Security
Economic experts warn that the dramatic drop in Daraa’s olive production poses a major threat to food security in southern Syria. Olives are one of the region’s most strategic crops, providing essential food and an important source of household oil. Their decline has pushed up the prices of all related goods, from olive oil to preserved home foods.
Unofficial estimates suggest that the governorate’s production fell by more than 80 per cent compared with last year, driving prices up by as much as 150 per cent in some areas. With purchasing power at historic lows, olive oil has become a near-luxury item rather than a staple of the Syrian table.
The shutdown of mills and the loss of hundreds of seasonal jobs have also deepened rural poverty and unemployment. Economists fear that if this trend continues, farmers may abandon olive cultivation altogether, reducing planted areas in future years unless agricultural institutions and NGOs intervene with substantial support.
Daraa stands at a genuine agricultural crossroads. Either urgent action is taken to save the olive tree – a defining symbol of the southern Syrian landscape – or the region risks losing a strategic crop that will be extremely difficult to replace for decades to come.
