Shaza Mahmoud Sabbouh*⁽¹⁾ Samaan Alattuan ⁽¹⁾ and Ibrahim Abdallah⁽²⁾

 (1). Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria.

(3). Economic and Social Studies, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Eng. Shaza Mahmoud Sabbouh. E-Mail: shazasabouh@hotmail.com).

Received: 29/07/2018                                Accepted: 24/10/2018

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the competitiveness of the Syrian olive oil during the crisis period (2011-2015) comparing it with the period (2006-2010), by identifying the most importing foreign markets, and the quantity, and value of Syrian and international exports of olive oil. It has been shown that the relative advantage increased of olive oil exports during the two studied periods to 40.2 as a result of depending most of the country’s exports on olive oil, in addition to the specialized to 39.5, this indicated that this resource is invested optimally. Syrian olive oil has advanced in the Kuwaiti, Lebanese and Egyptian markets to the first rank and placed second in the UAE market during the second period, while it decreased to the third rank, and second rank in the Saudi, and Jordan market respectively, for the same period. The rate of penetration index of the Syrian olive oil had increased to occupy the first rank in the markets of, UAE, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt in the second period, while it decreased to the sixth and eighth rank, in the Australian and Spanish markets respectively. The research recommends providing support for exports of the Syrian olive oil and conducting marketing research on target markets. In addition to activating the role of Syrian commercial attachés abroad, and the role of the Syrian Olive Oil Council in linking the various parties.

Key words: Syrian olive oil, Exports, Competitiveness, Relative specialized advantage, Syria.

Full Paper in Arabic: PDF