News > Olive Cooperative
Our primary concern, since we were elected as mayor, was responding to a challenge both culturally and economically. The question that we're hitched was how do you go take to pool limited resources and sparse unable in their present state, meet the new demands of olive growing and profitable quality.
With advanced technology and mechanization, the means of our citizens have, paradoxically, proved far from meeting the increasing complexity of olive growing. Indeed, it was found that the poor performance of our olive trees was partly due to the replacement of cows coupling by means of mechanical traction. Indeed, with the disappearance of the panorama of the cow farm, a nutrient age has disappeared without leaving the olive organic fertilizer, essential for balanced growth of the tree. Compensate for this by an addition of chemical fertilizer, although it is regularly made - which is not the case - could be a long-term satisfactory solution. Unable to afford itself the necessary means for a culture as well as sustainable profitable, the grower has resolved to accept the
crop failure as inevitable.
Also, it must be emphasized, that the olive tree, once, provided the means
Financial hundreds of homes to send their children to universities, is in turn an orphan human skills required to build the constant renewal of its vitality. It is a sociological phenomenon often encountered in rural areas that are obvious to the children of farmers, in a break with living close to the earth and a preference for jobs
most rewarding in government or business. Beyond this, we must consider a macroeconomic aspect strongly characterized by the lack of government commitment to develop a proactive agricultural policy aimed, among others, to develop an olive production in Lebanon quality at competitive prices.
Currently, the olive is practically collapsing and unable in the current state of competition from foreign oil whose production costs are heavily subsidized, to ensure a sufficient return to cover its operating costs. Plowing, weeding, manuring and spraying, pruning, treatment against the olive fly (Daucus-olea), babysitting, picking olives and sorting, pressing and packaging of the oil etc. . have, year after year, a total cost that exceeds the selling price of oil should it find a buyer, which is often not the case for the entire production given the competition it is faces.
The combination of all this is that today the majority of growers do not take enough or not at all care of their groves. And this is where there is urgency to act.
To do this requires, first, that another approach to take place at all levels of the Olive. The first effort is required to wait for the farmer himself who must resign himself to admit Emergency out of a spirit of individualism which, at all levels of economic activity, prevented the emergence of a "socialization" of the means of production. This is certainly responsible for the poverty of the industrial fabric of Lebanon and also the lack of true agricultural cooperative able to remove agriculture from its lethargy.
It is certain that if the efforts of each other of our growers do not combining in a suitable structure, difficulties in ensuring a successful operation, ecologically and economically, would not be defeated.
It goes without saying that the answer to the lack of our growers and the fragmentation of farms can be found only in a collective farm. It is the agricultural cooperative like those existing in France in the winery that can meet the challenge of developing business and Olive out of its doldrums. You have to imagine an organization capable of providing an entire each of our growers accompaniment of soil analysis to the flow of production. This assumes the availability of proven expertise and technical resources to improve productivity, establish a pattern of production and ensure quality certified products.
This concern was central to the work session we had, November 25, 2003, with Gilles Germain, Cooperation Attaché, Embassy of France, to explore better provision for active cooperation between the Embassy of France and Hall Amioun. It emerged during the meeting, a consensus as to the essential utility to exist, Amioun, cooperative olive oil that meets real needs and that is both viable and operational. The willingness of our French partner and ours is - to benefit our growers know-how their French counterparts have developed over the days, particularly on agricultural cooperative, to provide for members of the cooperative's future technical and financial resources necessary to
development of their culture - to help fix the Lebanese farmers on their land - and, finally, to make available to all operators of olive Amioun a structure to help them develop their Olive potential. The approach that the two future partners have decided to follow is a realistic and rigorous flawless. It was decided to avoid the pitfalls that can derail such an undertaking, start future cooperation with those growers who meet in their willingness to share reflected their efforts to achieve a mutual interest, which in itself is a new provisionout of mind with regard to development in Lebanon.
The approach suggested by Mr. Germain, leading to installation of the co-operative, is to learn from experience, most recently, three-sponsored agricultural cooperatives in Lebanon by the Embassy of France.
In the field, we have already, started the phase tracking olive farmers wishing to accompany the mayor in his project and would form the nucleus of a future cooperative. The statutes, procedures and other regulatory and legal aspects will be, promptly established.
Our primary concern, since we were elected as mayor, was responding to a challenge both culturally and economically. The question that we're hitched was how do you go take to pool limited resources and sparse unable in their present state, meet the new demands of olive growing and profitable quality.
With advanced technology and mechanization, the means of our citizens have, paradoxically, proved far from meeting the increasing complexity of olive growing. Indeed, it was found that the poor performance of our olive trees was partly due to the replacement of cows coupling by means of mechanical traction. Indeed, with the disappearance of the panorama of the cow farm, a nutrient age has disappeared without leaving the olive organic fertilizer, essential for balanced growth of the tree. Compensate for this by an addition of chemical fertilizer, although it is regularly made - which is not the case - could be a long-term satisfactory solution. Unable to afford itself the necessary means for a culture as well as sustainable profitable, the grower has resolved to accept the
crop failure as inevitable.
Also, it must be emphasized, that the olive tree, once, provided the means
Financial hundreds of homes to send their children to universities, is in turn an orphan human skills required to build the constant renewal of its vitality. It is a sociological phenomenon often encountered in rural areas that are obvious to the children of farmers, in a break with living close to the earth and a preference for jobs
most rewarding in government or business. Beyond this, we must consider a macroeconomic aspect strongly characterized by the lack of government commitment to develop a proactive agricultural policy aimed, among others, to develop an olive production in Lebanon quality at competitive prices.
Currently, the olive is practically collapsing and unable in the current state of competition from foreign oil whose production costs are heavily subsidized, to ensure a sufficient return to cover its operating costs. Plowing, weeding, manuring and spraying, pruning, treatment against the olive fly (Daucus-olea), babysitting, picking olives and sorting, pressing and packaging of the oil etc. . have, year after year, a total cost that exceeds the selling price of oil should it find a buyer, which is often not the case for the entire production given the competition it is faces.
The combination of all this is that today the majority of growers do not take enough or not at all care of their groves. And this is where there is urgency to act.
To do this requires, first, that another approach to take place at all levels of the Olive. The first effort is required to wait for the farmer himself who must resign himself to admit Emergency out of a spirit of individualism which, at all levels of economic activity, prevented the emergence of a "socialization" of the means of production. This is certainly responsible for the poverty of the industrial fabric of Lebanon and also the lack of true agricultural cooperative able to remove agriculture from its lethargy.
It is certain that if the efforts of each other of our growers do not combining in a suitable structure, difficulties in ensuring a successful operation, ecologically and economically, would not be defeated.
It goes without saying that the answer to the lack of our growers and the fragmentation of farms can be found only in a collective farm. It is the agricultural cooperative like those existing in France in the winery that can meet the challenge of developing business and Olive out of its doldrums. You have to imagine an organization capable of providing an entire each of our growers accompaniment of soil analysis to the flow of production. This assumes the availability of proven expertise and technical resources to improve productivity, establish a pattern of production and ensure quality certified products.
This concern was central to the work session we had, November 25, 2003, with Gilles Germain, Cooperation Attaché, Embassy of France, to explore better provision for active cooperation between the Embassy of France and Hall Amioun. It emerged during the meeting, a consensus as to the essential utility to exist, Amioun, cooperative olive oil that meets real needs and that is both viable and operational. The willingness of our French partner and ours is - to benefit our growers know-how their French counterparts have developed over the days, particularly on agricultural cooperative, to provide for members of the cooperative's future technical and financial resources necessary to
development of their culture - to help fix the Lebanese farmers on their land - and, finally, to make available to all operators of olive Amioun a structure to help them develop their Olive potential. The approach that the two future partners have decided to follow is a realistic and rigorous flawless. It was decided to avoid the pitfalls that can derail such an undertaking, start future cooperation with those growers who meet in their willingness to share reflected their efforts to achieve a mutual interest, which in itself is a new provisionout of mind with regard to development in Lebanon.
The approach suggested by Mr. Germain, leading to installation of the co-operative, is to learn from experience, most recently, three-sponsored agricultural cooperatives in Lebanon by the Embassy of France.
In the field, we have already, started the phase tracking olive farmers wishing to accompany the mayor in his project and would form the nucleus of a future cooperative. The statutes, procedures and other regulatory and legal aspects will be, promptly established.