From the tree to the kitchen - The journey of Palestinian olives
A glimpse at the Palestinian olive industry and the current harvest season
A farmer uses a stick to knock fruit from the trees whilst others pick each olive by hand (MEE/Rich Wiles)
Published date: 13 February 2015 03:15 GMT
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Last update: 9 years 8 months ago
This year's olive harvest is now in full swing across Palestine. The olive oil industry is a major component of the Palestinian agricultural sector.
Khaled Hidmi, the director of the Palestinian Union of Agricultural Workers' Committees' (UAWC) estimates that despite the heavy toll that the Israeli occupation places on Palestinian agriculture, olive production still supports the livelihoods of around 80,000 families in the occupied Palestinian territory.
From caring for trees to picking the fruit and the final production of oil and its consumption, olive trees and their fruit continue to be an intrinsic part of Palestinian life and culture.
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