Syria’s 218 million fruit trees face challenges from drought and climate change

DAMASCUS: Syria has about 218 million fruit trees across one million hectares of agricultural land, including 190 million productive trees, with annual output estimated at 2.5 million tons, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Olives, apples, citrus fruits and pistachios are among the country’s major agricultural crops, supporting thousands of farming families and contributing to food production, rural employment and the wider economy.

Muthanna Al-Katea, director of the forestry directorate at the ministry, said that olive trees dominated Syria’s fruit-growing sector, producing substantial quantities of olives and olive oil each year.

According to the ministry, olive groves cover 677,725 hectares, with an estimated 101.5 million trees, including 90.7 million productive trees. Cultivation is concentrated in the Aleppo, Idlib, Tartous, Latakia and Damascus countryside.