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The governorate of Marsa Matrouh and the Siwa Oasis are currently witnessing the peak of the olive harvest season, with substantial volumes of the crop being delivered to traders, extraction mills, and pickling facilities. This season serves as a cornerstone of the regional agricultural economy, supported by a vast diversity of cultivars tailored to the coastal and desert terrains.
Olives remain a strategic commodity for farmers in Matrouh and Siwa. While many large-scale producers supply their entire harvest to commercial channels, others retain a portion for oil extraction to achieve better economic returns through direct sales or domestic consumption. Siwa Oasis, in particular, stands out as a major production hub, producing thousands of tons annually. Recent years have seen an expansion in the cultivation of new varieties to diversify output and enhance food processing capacities.
Matrouh hosts over 100 olive varieties, differing in size, color, and oil content. Prominent table varieties include the 'Azizi' (known locally as sour olives), 'Teffahi', 'Kalamata', and 'Dolci'. Regarding market pricing, the average price for 'Coratina' olives reached 30 EGP per kg, while 'Watyken', 'Chemlali', and 'Maraki' varieties were priced at approximately 28 EGP per kg. Large black 'Picual' olives also fetched 28 EGP, whereas green 'Picual' and 'Sour' olives stood at 23 EGP, and 'Dolci' olives were valued at 17 EGP per kg.
Cultivation conditions differ significantly between Siwa, which relies on groundwater irrigation, and the coastal areas of Matrouh, which depend primarily on rainfall. The oil extraction process involves rigorous technical stages: washing, crushing into a paste, malaxation (stirring) to aggregate oil droplets, and final separation using centrifugal decanters. The quality of the final oil is heavily influenced by fruit maturity, transport speed to the mill, and the cleanliness of processing equipment.
Beyond food consumption, olives and their oil are vital raw materials for the soap and cosmetics industries. Matrouh is renowned for the 'Chemlali' variety, specialized for oil production, alongside 'Coratina' and 'Koroneiki'. Oil yield per ton varies significantly based on the cultivar, harvest timing, and extraction technology employed.
Source: Youm7