Egypt is reviving olive cultivation after it was destroyed by terrorism

The Chinese "Xinhua" agency praised Egypt's efforts in the development and reconstruction of Sinai, noting that Egypt is now devoting its efforts to enhancing olive production in North Sinai, which is considered the second largest exporter of table olives in the world. Olive oil, which brought great profits, and thus was the most important source of income for the local population. However, olive cultivation has been greatly eroded in recent years, due to a number of security disturbances, especially during the era of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. Terrorists in North Sinai burned trees Olives dried up agricultural lands, exploded electricity networks, and destroyed agricultural wells that people depend on to water their olive trees. Atef Matar, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Desert Reclamation in North Sinai, told Xinhua: “Before 2014, 35,000 feddans (14,700 hectares) were planted. With olive trees in North Sinai, it produces about 75 thousand tons of olives ...