`Production Unit Opens in Kilis, Turkey - Olive Oil Times

Production Unit Opens in Kilis, Turkey

By Isabel Putinja
Jan. 8, 2015 11:03 UTC

An organic olive oil pro­duc­tion unit started pro­duc­tion last month in Kilis, a province in south-cen­tral Turkey bor­der­ing Syria which has dou­bled in pop­u­la­tion with the arrival of Syrian refugees flee­ing con­flict.

The project was made pos­si­ble with the finan­cial sup­port of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) Regional Development Administration, UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and UNDP (United Nations Development Program).

Established by the Kilis Organic Olive Producers’ Union, the facil­ity processes, pack­ages, and stores olives har­vested by local pro­duc­ers and has a pro­duc­tion capac­ity of 80 tons of olive oil per day. Approximately 300 local olive pro­duc­ers are mem­bers of the Union and are able to process their olives here and receive a share of the rev­enue from the sale of the olive oil.

Kilis refugee camp (Photo: Caravan Aid)

The pro­duc­tion unit cur­rently employs 15 work­ers, a num­ber which is expected to dou­ble once it reaches full capac­ity and also offer employ­ment pos­si­bil­i­ties to the recently set­tled Syrian refugees.

The organic olive oil pro­duced here will be mar­keted under the brand name Kilizri” and will be avail­able for pur­chase not only in Turkey but also in other coun­tries.

Olive oil is a sta­ple of the cui­sine in Kilis province and olives are one of its most impor­tant agri­cul­tural prod­ucts. The Kilis olive is ideal for olive oil pro­duc­tion, with a high oil yield, fine skin and small seed. The olives are also used for soap-mak­ing in the region.


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