>EMEA Mondays: Palestinian Olive Oil

>A new report by Oxfam International says that Palestinian profits from olive oil could double if Israeli restrictions on land ownership were relaxed and farming techniques would be improved.  Currently, the Palestinian olive oil indsutry produces about $100 million annually for Palestinian farmers, and olives and olive oil are some of Palestine’s main exports. Some of the recommendations from Oxfam are that the Israeli government should cease blockading the Gaza Strip, to allow Palestinian farmers acces to their olive groves, organizations should work to increase sustainable practices and consistent production standards for Palestinian olive oil, and international donors should devote resources to increasing marketing opportunities for Palestinian olive oil, so it will be more attractive to the export market. A blog entry on Al-Jazeera (in English) details a day of olive harvesting, from a mother’s perspective.

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